The draw for the women's team Australian Open revealed the possibility that two of the four Spanish players competing in the first Grand Slam of the year, Garbiñe Muguruza and Paula Badosa, meet in the second round, provided they outperform their respective rivals in the first. They are two Russians, Margarita Gasparyan (26th and 125th in the world), who entered as a play-off, and Liudmila Samsonova (22nd and 127th). Muguruza once faced Gasparyan, in the second round of Monterrey, in 2019, and won it in three sets. And Badosa also crossed paths once with Samsonova, in El Espinar three years ago, and lost because she had to retire injured.
Garbiñe, finalist in 2020 and 14th seeded, and Paula go by the side of Simona Halep's team, number two, although not in the same sector. So things, on Garbiñe's path, by ranking would be Garsparyan, Badosa, Kerber, Osaka, Andreescu and Halep herself before a hypothetical final against world leader Ashleigh Barty. A very complicated path a priori.
The other Spanish go for the part of Barty, who could be the rival of Sara Sorribes in the second round if the Castellón surpasses her first opponent, the Australian guest Daria Gravrilova (26 years and 452nd). At the start of the 2018 US Open, the local player met and won. Aliona Bolsava will have a difficult debut against the American Jennifer Brady (25 years and 24th), with whom she has never been measured.
Serena Williams, against Siegemund
Serena Williams, who is on the side of Muguruza, will begin a new attempt to win her 24th Grand Slam title against the German Laura Siegemund, and then he could cross paths with Begu, Riske, Sabalenka, Halep and Andreescu, before facing Barty for the title. Last year's champion, American Sofia Kenin, will face local guest Maddison Inglis.
Australian Open women's draw.