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The Western & Southern Open, scheduled to be held from August 14-21 in Cincinnati, Ohio, US, is the next stop on the tennis calendar. The combined men's and women's tournament will give players the opportunity to spruce up their games and get some matches under their belt before heading to the US Open later this month.
While the men's event is part of the ATP Masters 1000 series, the women's competition is classified as WTA 1000.
All eyes will be on two-time champion Serena Williams as she makes her final appearance in Cincinnati before her impending retirement. The 23-time Grand Slam winner has drawn reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu in what will be a blockbuster first-round match.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, Anett Kontaveit, Simona Halep, and Naomi Osaka are some of the other names packed in a star-studded 56-player singles draw.
With plenty of fireworks on offer over the course of the following week in Cincinnati, here's all the information you need to know about the tournament:
What is the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati?
Started in 1899 at the Avondale Athletic Club on clay, the Western & Southern Open has grown into one of the most prestigious tournaments on the tennis calendar. Having switched venues multiple times, the event finally settled in Mason in 1979, when it permanently became a hardcourt tournament.
The women's tournament wasn't held between 1974 and 1987 before being reinstated for a year in 1988. It stopped once again from 1989 to 2003. Since 2004, the women's event has been held annually.
The men's and women's events are being held simultaneously in the same week since 2011 when the tournament name was changed to the Western & Southern Open.
Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams, and Victoria Azarenka are some of the players who have lifted the trophy in the past. Both Serena and Azarenka have emerged victorious in Cincinnati twice.
Former World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty is the defending champion but she announced her retirement earlier this year,
Venue
The combined hardcourt tournament will be held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, located in the suburb of Mason in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Players
Iga Swiatek, Anett Kontaveit, Paula Badosa, Maria Sakkari, Ons Jabeur, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and Garbine Muguruza are the top eight seeds in the women's singles draw. Each of them have received a bye into the second round.
Since winning her second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in June, Swiatek has been struggling for form. Having bowed out in the round of 16 in Toronto this week, the Pole will be desperate to bounce back in Cincinnati.
World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit, too, has been suffering from the long-term effects of a positive COVID-19 test. The Hamburg runner-up didn't make it past the second round in Toronto and will hope to find her rhythm next week.
Badosa, meanwhile, retired from her opening match at the Canadian Open as she was feeling unwell. It remains to be seen if she has fully recovered before the Western & Southern Open.
Sakkari lost a nail-biting last 16 match in Toronto and will look to make it deeper into the draw this time in Cincinnati.
Out of the other four aforementioned seeds, only Pegula has managed to breach the round-of-16 barrier at the ongoing Canadian Open. The American is currently in the last four and will be eager to bring momentum from Toronto to her home country.
Simona Halep and Karolina Pliskova, too, will look to strike it rich in Cincinnati following their semifinal runs in Toronto.
Elena Rybakina, Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu, Amanda Anisimova, and Beatriz Haddad Maia are some of the other players to keep an eye on.
Schedule
The qualifying rounds will take place on August 13 and 14, with first-round matches starting in the night session on August 14. The quarterfinals, semifinals, and final are scheduled for August 19, 20 and 21, respectively.
The official tournament schedule can be accessed here.
Prize Money
The total prize money for this year's edition is $2,527,250. The winner will walk away with a cash prize of $412,000 along with 900 ranking points. Here's a detailed breakdown of the prize money and ranking points:
Where to watch
Viewers in the US, Australia, UK, and Canada can watch the Western & Southern Open live on the following channels and sites:
USA: Matches will be broadcast on Tennis Channel & Bally Sports RSN.
UK: Fans in the UK can watch the proceedings live on Amazon Prime Video.
Australia: All matches will be telecast on beIN Sports.
Canada: Viewers in Canada can watch all the matches on TSN.
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