adminLos Angeles. — Serena Williams will work to put the heartbreak of early Rio Olympic exits in singles and doubles behind her as she heads the women’s tennis field at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters.
The tournament will be the last major test prior to the start of the US Open on August 29, but falls directly after the Summer Games.
Williams, who has won her last 10 matches at the venue after claiming the last two titles, will have to be on her guard.
Her first opponent could be Elina Svitolina, who sent her crashing out of the Olympic tournament. Svitolina needs to beat world No. 60 Christina McHale in her opening match.
The 34-year-old is being chased in the rankings by German world number two Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open champion and Wimbledon finalist.
Should Williams lose before the quarter-finals with Kerber claiming the title, then the longtime number one from the US would find herself second in the world for the first time since February 2013.
Williams accepted a Cincinnati wild card from organisers just two days after losing in singles in Brazil and may use Cincinnati as a test for an apparent shoulder problem. All 16 women’s seeds receive byes into the second round.
Romanian Simona Halep, last year’s losing finalist to Williams, takes the third seeding ahead of Spain’s Garbine Muguruza and fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska. — AFP.
Online Reporter