NEW YORK, NY, USA – Former World No. 1 Serena Williams is the No. 3 seed at the upcoming Western-Southern Open, which will be held for the first time at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Moved from the Linder Family Tennis Center, where it has been a Premier Five tournament since 2009, the Western-Southern Open will be held at the typical US Open venue, which will take place the following week.
Williams played his first official match since the Fed Cup last week at the first Top Seed Open presented through Bluegrass Orthopaedics, where he reached the quarter-finals with a win over his sister Venus, and will open his “Cincinnati” crusade opposite Alison Van Uytvanck. or a qualifier.
In the quarter-finals, British No. 8 and No. 1 seed Johanna Konta, who lost an attack on 23-time Grand Slam champion at his last assembly at the Mudabala Silicon Valley Classic in 2018. Konta also returned in 2018. Action in Lexington, where she fell to Czech rising star Marie Bouzkova in the first hurdle, and will begin her week opposite Katerina Siniakova or a qualifier.
To complete the back of the draw, protecting Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, who will face Alizé Cornet or compatriot Catherine McNally in their first round. Kenin had an epic start in his 2020 season, earning his first Grand Slam name in Melbourne and following him with a season-by-time name at the 6th Sens Open – Metropole in Lyon in France.
While the tours were suspended due to the pandemic, Kenin participated in the Credit One Bank Invitational in Charleston, the home of the Volvo Car Open, where he helped achieve his team’s victory. No. 7 champion Madison Keys is her opponent scheduled for the quarterfinals.
Former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova leads the group as the most sensible seed and will face Veronika Kudermetova or Ajla Tomljanovic in their first match. Like Kenin, Pliskova has also enjoyed a forged form at the exhibition games, winning a small occasion in the Czech Republic lockdown, and is expected to face Aryna Sabalenka, top five seed and Qatar’s Total Open champion, in the quarterfinals.
Sabalenka won the only other Premier five times of the year in Doha and made his return last week in Lexington, where she lost in a time to teenage skill Cori “Coco” Gauff in the moments round.
Venus Williams, who attracted Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska in the first round, is also part of the draw segment of fourth seed Naomi Osaka. Osaka, the 2018 U.S. Open champion, will play Karolina Muchova or a qualifier to start her week.
Click to see the full drawing.