Chicago Fall Tennis Classic 2021 Draw: Elina Svitolina and Belinda Bencic on Collision Course

The inaugural edition of the Chicago Fall Tennis Classic begins on 27th September until 3rd October. Many top-ranked players would headline the first edition of the WTA 500 event. With the draw released, let us examine how it could unfold.

Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, 2-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza, Tokyo Olympic gold-medalist Belinda Bencic, and this year’s French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova are the top four seeds, respectively.

Top half: Elina Svitolina, Ons Jabeur, Belinda Bencic

Seeded No.1, Elina Svitolina faces the winner of the first-round encounter between Amanda Anisimova and Viktorija Golubic in her opening round match. Svitolina is most likely to face No.6 seed Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinals, who poses a genuine threat to her title hunt.

If Svitolina reaches the penultimate stage, she might face the in-form Belinda Bencic in the semifinals. Interestingly, four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters (unranked) makes a return to the tour. Clijsters would face Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei in the first round of the WTA Championships in Chicago.

Placed in the same half, the No.5 seed Elena Rybakina’s first challenge is likely to be Madison Keys in the second round. Rybakina might face Bencic in the quarterfinals, in what could be a potential rematch of their Tokyo Games semifinal.

Bottom half: Garbine Muguruza, Bianca Andreescu, Elise Mertens

The No.2 seed Garbine Muguruza has a tough path to the final. The Spanish tennis star is likely to face Victoria Azarenka in the third round, which could be a repeat of their thrilling third-round 2021 US Open match.

In the quarterfinals, Muguruza might clash against the 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu. If Muguruza reaches the last four, then she is likely to face either Elise Mertens or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, both of whom seem to be staring at a potential quarterfinal match.

The expected semifinals at the 2021 Chicago Fall Tennis Classic could be Rybakina vs. Svitolina in the top half and Muguruza vs. Pavlyuchenkova in the bottom half. Who do you think would lift the title?