Two seeds in the wrong half, a qualifier nobody wants, and a third round that decides the title. The Continental Open draw, quarter by quarter.
First quarter
The top seed’s path is the kindest on paper and the hardest in practice: two players who beat her on this surface last year sit in her third-round slot.
Second quarter
The qualifier. Ranked 140th, seven wins on hard courts this month, and a first-round opponent who has not played since June.
The bottom half
Halvorsen’s withdrawal moves the fourth seed up a line and opens a quarter with no top-ten player in it for the first time in a decade.
It is the most open draw in years. It is also the one where the favourite is most likely to win.
— Tour analyst
