The 2024 Japan Open in Tokyo is the last WTA 500 tournament of the season, and the draw for the event has been revealed.
Running from October 21st to 27th, players will compete for the last WTA 500 trophy of the season. Last year, Veronika Kudermetova won the Japan Open, and she's back to defend her title this year, but not as one of the seeded players.
The Russian player will start against Viktoriya Tomova in the first round of the tournament, with the winner taking on the fourth-seeded Anna Kalinskaya, who has first-round BYE at the tournament.
Two former Grand Slam champions received a wild card, and home fans will be disappointed not to see another former major winner with a wild card at the event, as Naomi Osaka was forced to withdraw from the tournament.
In her absence, the two Grand Slam champions are Bianca Andreescu and Sofia Kenin. Both received a very difficult draw. The American player will have to play against the sixth-seeded Diana Shnaider, while Andreescu will play against Xinyu Wang, and if she wins, she will clash with the second-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia.
The top seed at the tournament is Qinwen Zheng, whose participation is in doubt even after the draw was released. She probably initially signed up for the tournament to boost her qualification chances for the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh, but since she already qualified for the tournament, the Chinese player might choose to rest up for the year-end championship.
If she chooses to play, her second-round opponent will be the winner of the match between Mika Stojsavljevic and Moyuka Uchijima, and in the quarter-finals, she could meet the winner of the match between the eighth-seeded Leylah Fernandez and Ajla Tomljanovic.
The third seed at the tournament is Daria Kasatkina, who, like all top four seeded players, has a first-round BYE. In the second round, the Russian player will meet either McCartney Kessler or Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Paula Badosa is the fifth seed, meaning she didn't get the BYE, and she also received one of the most challenging first-round opponents, as she will have to play against Katie Boulter. However, should she win, her second-round opponent will be one of the qualifiers.
On the other hand, the seventh-seeded Magdalena Frech won the lottery with the draw, as she will start against a qualifier, and in the second round, she will also play against one of the qualifiers.
2024 Japan Open Tokyo WTA Draw:
| Player 1 | Player 2 |
|---|---|
| Qinwen Zheng [1] | BYE |
| Mika Stojsavljevic [WC] | Moyuka Uchijima |
| Varvara Gracheva | Qualifier/LL |
| Ajla Tomljanovic | Leylah Fernandez [8] |
| Anna Kalinskaya [4] | BYE |
| Viktoriya Tomova | Veronika Kudermetova |
| Qualifier/LL | Qualifier/LL |
| Qualifier/LL | Magdalena Frech [7] |
| Diana Shnaider [6] | Sofia Kenin |
| Nao Hibino | Qualifier/LL |
| Elisabetta Cocciaretto | McCartney Kessler |
| BYE | Daria Kasatkina [3] |
| Paula Badosa [5] | Katie Boulter |
| Qualifier/LL | Qualifier/LL |
| Bianca Andreescu | Xinyu Wang |
| BYE | Beatriz Haddad Maia [2] |
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