MASON – Four Top 50 players and 10 Americans highlight the qualifying tournament that begins Saturday for the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open.
The field for the 2009 qualifying tournament is nearly as strong as the main draw field was for the 2008 W&SFG Women’s Open. Last year’s main draw had a cutoff of 99, while this year’s qualifier field has a cutoff of 119.
Top seed in the qualifying draw belongs to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who is ranked No. 35 in the World. The field also includes Melanie Oudin, a 17-year-old American who upset current world No. 5 Jelena Jankovic en route to the Round of 16 at
Wimbledon this year. Two former W&SFG Women’s Open main-draw semifinalists and six players who’ve reached a singles final on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour this year are also in the draw.
“The qualifier is the warm-up act to the main attraction, but since the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open is at the Premier Level on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour the quality of tennis in the qualifier here will be extraordinary,” said tournament director Bruce Flory.
Eight women will advance out of the 32-player qualifying draw and into the main draw. Play begins Saturday at 10 a.m. at the
Lindner
Family
Tennis
Center in Mason and tickets are $5 while kids 14 and under get in free.
2009 Qualifying Draw
Saturday Order of Play