Los Angeles (AFP) – 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 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.
Freshly crowned Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig faces Louisa Chirico of the US in her first round match. Puig upset Kerber on Saturday in Rio to become the first Puerto Rican athlete to win a gold medal.
Swiss world number 16 Belinda Bencic will play for the first time since Wimbledon, taking the 13th seeding after an injury recovery which cause her to miss Rio.
– Bronze winner withdraws –
Czech Petra Kvitova, who was seeded 11th, also pulled out of the women’s draw after claiming the bronze medal in Rio.
The men’s field is missing Novak Djokovic as the Serb, who lost in the Rio first round to Juan Martin del Potro, delays his return to the courts until the US Open. Djokovic withdrew from Cincinnati with a wrist injury.
Roger Federer, who has won three of the last four Cincinnati tournaments, will not play after ending his season because of a knee injury.
The top seed will be Andy Murray, who owns 2008 and 2001 titles at the summer hardcourt venue.
The Scot was not expected to start before Wednesday in the second round after making the trip from Brazil to the US midwest.
Rafael Nadal is seeded third after putting his left wrist to a test at the Rio Games by starting in all three events.
Hard-serving Canadian Milos Raonic, seeded fourth, will come back refreshed after skipping Rio and not playing since his loss to Gael Monfils in the Toronto quarter-finals.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori takes the fifth seeding, ahead of Tomas Berdych and number seven Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
Austrian eighth seed Dominic Thiem will return after an injury pause which kept him from playing as top seed at the new ATP event in Mexico.
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