seeded
v.v. to rank a player or team in a competition based on how good they are. This helps keep the best players from playing each other too early in the tournament.
v. to assign a specific rank or position to a competitor in a tournament bracket based on their perceived skill or past performance. This process ensures that top-ranked participants do not meet in the early rounds of a knockout competition.
The champion is seeded first in this year's tennis tournament.
Because they won the regional league, the team was seeded at the top of their group for the national finals.
Tournament organizers seeded the defending champion first to ensure a high-stakes final, though several unseeded players have recently shown the potential to cause a significant upset in the opening rounds.
Typically used in the passive voice ('is seeded') or as a past participle ('the top-seeded player').