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The first week of the 2022 season will witness plenty of action and the Melbourne Summer Set 2 is one of three events happening on WTA Tour. The event is scheduled to be held from January 4-9.
Most of the big names are present at the Adelaide International and Melbourne Summer Set 1. But this tournament features a healthy mix of upcoming talent and tour veterans as well.
World No. 18 Jessica Pegula is the top seed. Elise Mertens, former top 10 player Daria Kasatkina and Sara Sorribes Tormo round out the top four seeds.
On that note, here's a look at how the draw might unfold.
Top half: Daria Kasatkina and Madison Keys look to challenge top seed Jessica Pegula at the Melbourne Summer Set
Seeded players: (1) Jessica Pegula, (3) Daria Kasatkina, (5) Sorana Cirstea and (8) Marta Kostyuk.
Expected semifinal: Jessica Pegula vs Daria Kasatkina.
Dark horse: Madison Keys.
Analysis: In 2021, Jessica Pegula's career trajectory shot upwards at a fast pace. She reached her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open, along with a semifinal and three more quarterfinal runs at various WTA 1000 events. The American rose to a career-high ranking of Np. 18 and tallied seven wins over top-10 players throughout the year.
She'll begin her Melbourne Summer Set campaign against Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu. Pegula's second-round opponent could be either Jasmine Paolini or Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, with a likely date with fifth seed Sorana Cirstea in the quarterfinals.
Cirstea could face either Amanda Anisimova or Alison Van Uytvanck in the second round, both of whom could potentially upset her.
Meanwhile, Daria Kasatkina had a resurgent 2021, winning two titles and reaching two more finals. Prior to last year, she had struggled mightily for two years after a promising 2018 season.
Her first-round opponent in the Melbourne Summer Set is a qualifier. Kasatkina's probable opponent in the next round is former top 10 player Madison Keys, who is looking to regain the form that led her to a Grand Slam final in 2017. The winner is likely to face Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals.
Kasatkina is in a soft section of the draw and given her talent she should be able to make the most of the opportunity to make a deep run in the tournament.
Predicted semifinal: Daria Kasatkina def. Jessica Pegula.
Bottom half: Samantha Stosur competes in one of her final events at the Melbourne Summer Set
Seeded players: (2) Elise Mertens, (4) Sara Sorribes Tormo, (6) Clara Tauson and (7) Ann Li.
Expected semifinal: Elise Mertens vs Sara Sorribes Tormo.
Dark horse: Samantha Stosur.
Analysis: Seeded second in the Melbourne Summer Set, Mertens will start against a qualifier. She could face either wildcard Astra Sharma or Rebecca Peterson in the second round.
One of the big stories in the lead-up to the Australian Open is Samantha Stosur's upcoming retirement. She's set to end her singles career after the season's first Grand Slam, but will continue to play doubles until the end of 2022 before hanging up her raquet.
Stosur is in this section of the draw as well, and could face a promising young prospect in the form of Clara Tauson in the second round. The winner is likely to face Mertens in the quarterfinals. While Stosur has struggled in singles over the last few years, playing in front of her home crowd might just help her rise to the occasion.
Meanwhile, fourth seed Sara Sorribes Tormo will look to build upon a successful 2021 season. She won her first career title at the Abierto Zapopan Open, a WTA 250 event and made her top 40 debut in the rankings.
If the seeds hold, Sorribes Tormo is likely to face Ann Li in the quarterfinals. But former World No. 4 Caroline Garcia and 2018 US Open semifinalist Anastasija Sevastova are also in this section of the draw. If either of them plays at their full potential, there's room for an upset.
Semifinal prediction: Elise Mertens def. Sara Sorribes Tormo.
Prediction for the final: Elise Mertens def. Daria Kasatkina.
