Two Former Champions Headline
Western & Southern Open Qualifying Fields

Past Winners Azarenka, Zvonareva to Vie for Main Draw

CINCINNATI (Aug. 4, 2020) – Players with past Western & Southern Open success will be among those competing for a spot in the main draw during this year’s two-round qualifying event.

Former champions Victoria Azarenka (2013) and Vera Zvonareva (2006), who are both among the active moms on the WTA, headline the women’s field while there are six men competing who have reached at least the quarterfinals at the Western & Southern Open, including 2019 semifinalist Richard Gasquet.

Azarenka was ranked No. 2 when she defeated World No. 1 Serena Williams in the 2013 final. It marks the only time the top two players in the WTA rankings have met at the Western & Southern Open. Zvonareva, who has entered with a protected ranking, claimed the Cincinnati title in 2006 with a win over Katerina Srebotnik just two years after falling to Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport in the 2004 final.

Gasquet’s semifinal run in 2019 is the best result among the men’s qualifying field. He also was a quarterfinalist in 2015 and is one of the six qualifying entrants to have reached that round at the Western & Southern Open, joined by Jeremy Chardy (2012), Steve Johnson (2016), Feliciano Lopez (2015), Gilles Simon (2009, 2011) and Yuichi Sugita (2017)

Forty-eight players from both the ATP Tour and WTA will battle for 12 main draw berths during qualifying Aug. 20-21 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. Main draw action for the ATP Masters 1000 and WTA Premier 5 event will take place Aug. 22-28.

There are 11 total former champions entered in the men’s and women’s main draws for the 2020 Western & Southern Open. The ATP field includes defending champion Daniil Medvedev along with Novak Djokovic (2018 winner), Grigor Dimitrov (2017), Marin Cilic (2016) and two-time champion Andy Murray (2008, 11).

Two-time champion Serena Williams (2014-15) will join defending champion Madison Keys, and past winners Kiki Bertens (2018), Garbiñe Muguruza (2017), Karolina Pliskova (2016) and Kim Clijsters (2010) in the WTA field.

Here are the initial qualifying entrants:

BOLD Past Western & Southern Open Champion      

*Using injury protected ranking

About the Western & Southern Open

The Western & Southern Open takes place at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, 20 miles north of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. The tournament is one of the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 events on the men's tour and a Premier 5 event for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). The W&S Open is the largest annual summer sporting event in the US Midwest, hosting fans from all 50 states and more than 35 countries with more than 50 million global viewers in more than 160 countries. The tournament is also one of the last stops on the US Open Series before the US Open in New York. Since 1974, the tournament has contributed more than $11 million to various beneficiaries including Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the Barrett Cancer Center and Tennis for City Youth. For more information, visit www.wsopen.com.

About the US Open Series

The US Open Series serves as a true “regular season” of summer tennis in North America, linking nine summer WTA and ATP Tour tournaments to the US Open. Featuring a cohesive weekly schedule, the Series centralizes the way tennis is viewed in North America, across multiple television and digital platforms. Fans will see today's top champions go head-to-head with tomorrow's emerging stars, as storylines develop throughout the summer season. Each tournament also engages its local community with a variety of outreach initiatives, including grass-roots youth tennis clinics and activities.

About the WTA

Founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 on the principle of equal opportunity for women in sports, the WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 1,650 players representing 84 nations competing for a record $180 million in prize money. In 2019, the WTA was watched by a record breaking global audience of 700 million. The 2019 WTA competitive season includes 53 events and four Grand Slams in 28 countries and regions. The season culminates with the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, offering a $14 million total prize purse and honoring the season’s top singles and doubles players. Further information on the WTA can be found at www.wtatennis.com.

About the ATP

The ATP is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits - the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. With 64 tournaments in 30 countries, the ATP Tour showcases the finest male athletes competing in the world’s most exciting venues. From Australia to Europe and the Americas to Asia, the stars of the 2020 ATP Tour will battle for prestigious titles and FedEx ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000, 500 and 250 events, as well as Grand Slams (non ATP events). The 2020 season launched with the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia and will culminate with only the world’s top 8 qualified singles players and doubles teams competing for the last title of the season at the Nitto ATP Finals in November. Held at The O2 in London, the event will officially crown the 2020 ATP Tour No. 1. For more information, please visit www.ATPTour.com.

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