THE 2020 Prague Open is set to commence this week, with a couple of huge names headlining the competition. The second tournament on the return of the WTA Tour from COVID-19 related closure, Prague will see some huge names enter the fray and with just as much on the line despite being held over three months later than usual.

Just two top 20 players will headline the tournament, with none more crucial than world number two, Simona Halep who, despite withdrawing from Palermo, is set to compete across Europe. Joining Halep on the clay is Petra Martic, while a wealth of home-grown Czech Republic talent will take the court with Karolina Muchova – the 2019 runner up to Jil Teichmann – Barbora Strycova and Katerina Sinakova all looking to add another title to their tally. Eugenie Bouchard has been handed a wildcard, while rounding out the seeds are Elise Mertens (23rd), Dayana Yastremska (25th), Ekaterina Alexandrova (26th), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (30th) and Veronika Kudermetova (40th). 

A 15-year-old Czech talent in Linda Fruhvirtova will make her WTA main draw debut after being announced as a wildcard alongside Bouchard and Barbora Krejcikova. Huge first round matchups include one between Bouchard and eighth seed Kudermetova, while Jasmine Paolini showed some good signs in Palermo last week so will hope to draw on that against third seed Mertens. Meanwhile, Halep will take on 46th ranked Polona Hercog and will hope for a relatively straightforward look in to the quarter finals with Pavlyuchenkova her first major competition in at sixth seed. Martic has a similarly straightforward draw with Alexandrova her main worry, though there are couple names in the mix who could cause an upset purely based on court time at Palermo last week.

With Ash Barty out of action until further notice and Belinda Bencic another notable withdrawal during the week – especially given her top two seed potential – Halep will take first seed in the tournament. Former champions Petra Kvitova (2018) and Karolina Pliskova (2015) have chosen not to compete, while Maria Sakkari, Anett Kontaveit and Alison Van Uytvanck also withdrew during the week according to Prague Open Tournament Director, Daniel Trunda.

With so much uncertainty leading up to the Prague Open, one thing is clear – a new champion will be crowned with no previous titleholders in attendance.