Serena Williams finds herself in 'quarter of death' in Toronto
WTA
Serena Williams will face a very difficult task at the WTA 1000 event in Toronto as the 23-time Grand Slam champion will face one of the toughest draws possible.
After playing at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, Williams will return to action at the 2022 Canadian Open in Toronto. But if she wants to succeed in Toronto for the fourth time in her career, she will face a very difficult journey to the trophy as she found herself in a 'quarter of death.'
The experienced American will start against a qualifier. That was the most favorable part of her draw. Still, the qualifier can be anyone, including Marie Bouzkova, who's the first-seeded player in a qualifying draw, or Liudmila Samsonova.
Williams will then meet the winner of the match between a two-time Grand Slam champion, Victoria Azarenka, and an Olympic gold medalist, Belinda Bencic.
If she wins, four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka or two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza might await her in the next round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto. But that's not all.
If Serena passes even this test, she could face another two-time Grand Slam champion and current World No. 1 player, Iga Swiatek or the 2021 US Open finalist, Leylah Fernandez.
If Williams beats everyone in the 'quarter of death', she can face another very difficult opponent in the semi-finals. The 2017 US Open champion, Sloane Stephens, the 2019 US Open champion, Bianca Andreescu, the 2020 Australian Open champion, Sofia Kenin, the 2021 Roland Garros champion, Barbora Krejcikova, and also former World No. 1, Karolina Pliskova, and the 2022 Wimbledon finalist, Ons Jabeur are all possible opponents of the experienced American.
In the final, she can then expect to play against the likes of Coco Gauff, Simona Halep, Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa, Anett Kontaveit, Petra Kvitova, Jelena Ostapenko, or the 2021 US Open champion, Emma Raducanu.
