Layla Fernandez starts 2022 by winning the Adelaide WTA 500; Badosa vs. Azarenka is played on Tuesday | Other sports | Sports

The Adelaide WTA 500 Championships kicked off on Monday and will be an impressive first-round match that will take on the Spanish and current Indian Wells champions on Tuesday, Paula Padusa (4), with Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka, specifically the Catalan victim in the California Masters 1000 final in November. the past.

It will be the first test of level for the New York-born Spanish tennis player after she shone at the end of the season in which she won the Indian Wells title and the famous semi-finals of the WTA Finals after falling to compatriot Garbine Muguruza.

However, the main seed will be world number one Ashleigh Barty (1), who will have local support as an Australian player and could face American Coco Gauff in her first match of the second round if this beats an entry from the previous stage.

Up to eight tennis players out of the top fifteen ranked players in classification The WTA will be present in the capital of South Australia.

Czech Petra Kvitova will open her way against local Priscilla Hone, one of the four Australians present in the final draw; While the name of the current champion, Poland’s Ega Swiatek (5), fell in the same quarter of the frame as Padusa, Azarenka and Kvitova, and could face in the second round the US Open runner-up, the Canadian. From the father of Ecuadorean Leila Fernandez.

Indeed, Fernandez defeated Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-4 on Monday in the first round.

Greek third seed Maria Sakkari and eighth seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine will share the bottom of the tie with Belarusian second seed Arina Sabalenka. (Dr)