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Aryna Sabalenka’s 2023 tennis schedule: Where is she competing next and her season so far…
A look at Aryna Sabalenka’s 2023 tennis schedule and his results so far this campaign…
After failing to win any titles in 2022 on the back of struggles with her serve, Sabalenka is off to a blistering start in 2023 as she kicked off the campaign with two consecutive titles.
The first came at the Adelaide International 1 as she won the WTA 250 event without dropping a set and she followed it up with the biggest title of her career as she won her maiden Grand Slam, the Australian Open, by beating Elena Rybakina in the final at Melbourne Park.
Last year she played in 21 tournaments and in 2019 – the last full season before Covid-19 – she competed in 24 events, but life as a Grand Slam winner is different on the WTA Tour.
Will she challenge Iga Swiatek for the world No 1 ranking now that she has had a taste of Grand Slam success?
What’s to follow…
Up next is the Middle East swing and Sabalenka will be at the forefront before the WTA Tour heads to the United States. They then return to Europe for the clay swing and then the grass-court season.
As things stand, Sabalenka and her fellow Belarusians as well as Russian players won’t be able to compete at Wimbledon and other grass-court events in the UK due to the current ban, but things could change closer to the time so watch this space.
Confirmed and unconfirmed events
Qatar Open – February 13-19
The Qatar and Dubai events alternate on the calendar and as WTA 500/1000 events.
This year’s Qatar Open is a WTA 500 event and Sabalenka will be in the main draw as the second seed. Last year she reached the quarter-final, losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek.
She is a former champion in Doha as she won the event in 2020 when it was a Premier 5 (WTA 1000) event.
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships – February 20-26
A trophy, a WTA 1000 title and a winner’s cheque of $520,615 will be on offer at the 2022 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and Sabalenka will once again enter as the second seed as world No 1 and defending champion Swiatek is also in the draw.
She made an early exit last year.
Indian Wells Open – March 6-19
The Sunshine Double are two of the biggest non-Grand Slam events on the calendar and both tournaments offer 1,000 ranking points and more than $1m in prize money for the singles winners.
Sabalenka is yet to reach the business end of the tournament with her best display a run to the fourth round in 2020, last year she lost in round two.
Miami Open – March 20-27
With her serving woes getting worse during the early stages of the 2022 season, Sabalenka also made a hasty exit from the Miami Open last year even though she was the top seed.
Charleston Open – April 3-9
Sabalenka played in the WTA 500 clay-court tournament in Southern California last year and in 2019, but this could be one of the tournaments that she drops now that is a Grand Slam champion.
She was top seed in 2022 and lost in the third round.
Stuttgart Open – April 17-23
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is a favourite tournament among the big-name players in women’s tennis as the winner not only walks away with a trophy and prize money, but they also drive away with a brand new Porsche.
Sabalenka has finished runner-up in Stuttgart the past two seasons so will probably look to finally get her hands on a Porsche this year.
Madrid Open – April 24-May 1
The Madrid Open is another clay-court favourite for players.
Sabalenka headed to the Spanish capital as the defending champion last year, but she crashed out in the first round. She’ll be looking to make amends in 2023.
Italian Open – May 8-15
The second and final WTA 1000 clay-court event of the season takes place in Rome and last year the Belarusian finally started to find some form at Foro Italico as she reached the semi-final.
Unfortunately she ran into an inspired Swiatek.
French Open – May 28-June 11
This will be Sabalenka’s first Grand Slam after her Australian Open success so the pressure will definitely be different.
However, she is yet to really hit form at Roland Garros with her best performances a few trips to the third round.
Libema Open – June 12-18
Although banned from competing in the United Kingdom, Sabalenka is still allowed to play in other countries and last year she added the Netherlands event to her calendar.
It was a good decision as she reached the final before losing against Ekaterina Alexandrova.
German Open – June 19-25
The WTA 500 event in Berlin was another tournament on her calendar last year, but her entry could well depend on whether or not she is allowed to play at Wimbledon.
She was then scheduled to play at the Bad Homburg Open the following week, but withdrew.
Silicon Valley Classic – July 31-August 6
There are host of clay-court events in Europe after Wimbledon, but some players prefer to head to the United States early for the hard-court swing.
Last year Sabalenka reached the quarter-final of the WTA 500 event while in 2019 she finished runner-up.
Canadian Open – August 7-13
The Canadian Open offers players another chance to win a prestigious WTA 1000 title and the closest Sabalenka has come to winning in Canada was a run to the semi-final in 2021.
Cincinnati Open – August 14-20
Things started to click for Sabalenka at the Western & Southern Open last year as she reached the semi-final before losing to eventual champion Caroline Garcia.
US Open – August 28-September 10
Now that she has made her Grand Slam breakthrough – and on a hard-court to boot – could this be the year that Sabalenka goes all the way at Flushing Meadows?
She has reached the US Open semi-final the past two years and on both occasions she went down in three sets.
Wuhan Open – September 25-October 1
Sabalenka played in the San Diego Open after the US Open in 2022, but the tournament was only held due to Covid-19 and the WTA’s decision to suspend events in China due to the Peng Shuai case.
Asian events are expected to return this year and Sabalenka is a two-time defending champion at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open.
China Open – October 2-9
This is another tournament that is dependent on the WTA finding a resolution over the Peng Shuai case, but if it does take place then Sabalenka could feature.
She reached the second round in 2019 and the quarter-final in 20118.
Guadalajara Open – October 23-29
Some people prefer to stay fresh for the WTA Finals while others feel they need to keep active. She has in the past played in the Ostrava Open, but it clashes with Guadalajara this year.
Last year Sabalenka played in Mexico but exited the second round.
WTA Finals – October 30-November 5
Sabalenka is currently the leader in the Race To Shenzhen and she will be looking to go one better this year after finishing runner-up to Garcia last year.
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