The first WTA 500 event of the 2024 season will begin in earnest on New Year's Day, where eight of the world's Top 20 players will lead the pack at the Brisbane International.
Primarily played on outdoor hard courts and serving as one of the Australian Open warm-up tournaments, the Brisbane International will return to the calendar after a four-year absence. Tournament organizers have wasted no time brokering deals to bring the most prominent names on the women's circuit to the event.
Firstly, World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka will look to continue the fine trend of her fellow compatriots at this event. Since Brisbane International was incepted in 2009, a Belarusian player has reached the finals on four occasions (Victoria Azarenka accounts for two titles).
Sabalenka is the top seed and will be joined by her good friend Elena Rybakina in gracing the courts in Brisbane. The big-serving Kazakh has previously won on Australian soil (Hobart 2020) and will be a major force on the surface.
Karolina Muchova is the third seed and hopes to recover ahead of schedule to play in the opening tournament of 2024. The Czech was forced to miss the final phase of last season due to a wrist injury. It will be nearly four months since her last outing when she returns to Brisbane.
Sabalenka and Rybakina aren't the only big hitters in the draw. The likes of Madison Keys, Jelena Ostapenko, Liudmila Samsonova, and Ekaterina Alexandrova will look to cause an upset or two. Newly-weds Anastasia Potapova and Marta Kostyuk also feature.
Aside from Keys, a slew of Americans appear in the entry list. These include Sofia Kenin, Caroline Dolehide, Sloane Stephens, Peyton Stearns, Danielle Collins, and Bernard Pera. 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva's Top 60 status means she has earned her direct entry into the main draw.
Two wild cards have been confirmed at the Brisbane International. One has gone to home player Kimberly Birrell, while the second has been granted to four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who is returning from maternity absence.
2024 Brisbane International WTA Entry List:
| Seed | Name | Entry Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | 2 |
| 2 | Elena Rybakina | 4 |
| 3 | Karolina Muchova | 8 |
| 4 | Madison Keys | 12 |
| 5 | Jelena Ostapenko | 13 |
| 6 | Liudmila Samsonova | 16 |
| 7 | Daria Kasatkina | 18 |
| 8 | Veronika Kudermetova | 19 |
| 9 | Ekaterina Alexandrova | 21 |
| 10 | Victoria Azarenka | 22 |
| 11 | Magda Linette | 24 |
| 12 | Sorana Cirstea | 26 |
| 13 | Anhelina Kalinina | 27 |
| 14 | Anastasia Potapova | 28 |
| 15 | Elise Mertens | 29 |
| 16 | Sofia Kenin | 33 |
| Lin Zhu | 37 | |
| Karolina Pliskova | 38 | |
| Marta Kostyuk | 39 | |
| Linda Noskova | 41 | |
| Martina Trevisan | 42 | |
| Caroline Dolehide | 44 | |
| Katerina Siniakova | 45 | |
| Sloane Stephens | 46 | |
| Peyton Stearns | 49 | |
| Danielle Collins | 52 | |
| Camila Giorgi | 53 | |
| Mirra Andreeva | 56 | |
| Greet Minnen | 59 | |
| Clara Burel | 60 | |
| Lucia Bronzetti | 61 | |
| Ana Bogdan | 66 | |
| Bernarda Pera | 67 | |
| Nadia Podoroska | 69 | |
| Anna Karolina Schmiedlova | 73 | |
| Irina-Camelia Begu | 75 | |
| Anna Kalinskaya | 76 | |
| Viktoriya Tomova | 79 | |
| Kimberly Birrell (WC) | ||
| Naomi Osaka (WC) | ||
| (Q) | ||
| (Q) | ||
| (Q) | ||
| (Q) | ||
| (Q) | ||
| (Q) |
0 Comments