Missing from the Canadian tournament are the WTA’s world No1 Iga Swiatek and reigning Roland-Garros and Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz. Both players had a tough run at the Paris tournament.
This week, they will be participating in the North American hard-court swing as familiar names gather for the second 1000-level event of the late summer season.
Swiatek and Sabalenka set for semi-final clash
Swiatek will be joined by Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina, and Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen at the Western and Southern Open.
Aryna Sabalenka, who skipped the Olympics, is in Swiatek’s half of the draw, setting up a potential semi-final showdown between the two. Sabalenka will have to face Victoria Azarenka in the third round for a chance to progress while Swiatek will start her campaign against Ajla Tomljanovic or a qualifier.
Defending champion Coco Gauff will start her title defence against Julia Putintseva, provided the Kazakh player wins her opening round match against a qualifier.
Some notable first-round matches include Ons Jabeur vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Emma Navarro vs Mirra Andreeva, and Donna Vekic vs Beatriz Haddad Maia. Additionally, Naomi Osaka will have to navigate through qualifying for the first time in years, facing Anna Blinkova in her opening match.
Alcaraz faces tough draw in Cincinnati
Alcaraz will play his first hard-court match since late March against either Alexei Popyrin or Gael Monfils in the last-32 match. Defending champion Novak Djokovic is not participating in Cincinnati after his gold medal win in Paris, leaving world No 1 Jannik Sinner in the opposite half of the draw.
Alcaraz’s path to the later stages includes potential matchups with Holger Rune, Matteo Berrettini, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Daniil Medvedev.
Top seed Sinner will face Tallon Griekspoor in the second round, with a possible quarter-final against Andrey Rublev. Alexander Zverev is also in Sinner’s half, setting up a potential semi-final clash between the two players.
Qualifying for both tournaments begins on Sunday, with the main rounds starting on Monday. This event provides players with a final opportunity to tune-up before the US Open.
