Cincinnati 2024: Dates, draws, prize money and everything you need to know

5m read 9mo ago

This coming week, the Hologic WTA Tour will hold its second consecutive WTA 1000 event in a two-week span with the Cincinnati Open in Ohio.

Fifteen of the world's Top 20 players are scheduled to compete for the trophy, in the 93rd edition of the historic event. Cincinnati joined the prestigious roster of WTA 1000 events for the first time in 2009.

Cincinnati: Scores | Draws | Order of Play

World No.2 Coco Gauff

will return in an attempt to defend her 2023 title. It was Gauff's first career WTA 1000 title and part of her summer breakthrough last season, which also saw her win her first WTA 500 title in Washington and her first Grand Slam title at the US Open.

The remaining Top 5 players in the PIF WTA Singles Rankings -- Iga Swiatek

, , and -- are each seeking their very first trip to the Cincinnati Open final.

Here are more key facts surrounding the Midwest showdown:

When does the tournament start?

Main-draw action has a Tuesday start, on Aug. 13, and will run through Monday, Aug. 19.

Qualifying rounds take place on Sunday, Aug. 11 and Monday, Aug. 12.

Cincinnati is on Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -4).

The Wilson US Open Regular Duty ball will be used at the Cincinnati Open.

How big are the fields?

The Cincinnati Open features a 56-player main draw, with the top eight seeds receiving first-round byes. Of those 56 players, eight will be qualifiers and four will be wild cards.

There will be 28 teams in the doubles main draw, with four first-round byes. The doubles main draw will include three wild-card pairings.

When are the finals?

There will be a Monday singles final on Aug. 19. The doubles final will take place the day before, on Sunday, Aug. 18.

When are the draws?

The singles main draw took place on Saturday, Aug. 10. Here is the draw breakdown.

Main draw at Cincinnati (WTA 1000), where Iga Swiatek

View Profile , Coco Gauff

View Profile , Aryna Sabalenka

View Profile and Elena Rybakina

View Profile are the top seeds. pic.twitter.com/9aKeKeLoBR
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) August 10, 2024

Who were last year's champions?

Coco Gauff

won the 2023 singles title, defeating 6-3, 6-4 in the final. Before last year, Gauff had never advanced beyond the second round at the tournament.

Alycia Parks

and won last year's doubles title, squeaking past Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez 6-7(1), 6-4, [10-6] in the final. Parks and Townsend teamed up for the first time at this event last year, and they beat four seeded teams en route to the title.

From last year: Champions Corner: Townsend and Parks mold a winning connection

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Champions Reel: How Coco Gauff won Cincinnati 2023

What are the ranking points and prize money on offer in the singles main draw?

Who is playing?

Here are stats for the Top 8 seeds:

1. Iga Swiatek

View Profile
Ranking: No.1 (career-high No.1)
Career singles titles: 22
Career main-draw win-loss record at Cincinnati Open: 5-5
Best Cincinnati Open result: Semifinals (2023)

2. Coco Gauff

View Profile
Ranking: No.2 (career-high No.2)
Career singles titles: 7
Career main-draw win-loss record at Cincinnati Open: 6-3
Best Cincinnati Open result: Champion (2023)

3. Aryna Sabalenka

View Profile
Ranking: No.3 (career-high No.1)
Career singles titles: 14
Career main-draw win-loss record at Cincinnati Open: 13-6
Best Cincinnati Open result: Semifinals (2018, 2022, 2023)

4. Elena Rybakina

View Profile
Ranking: No.4 (career-high No.3)
Career singles titles: 8
Career main-draw win-loss record at Cincinnati Open: 6-4
Best Cincinnati result Open: Quarterfinals (2022)

5. Jasmine Paolini

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Ranking: No.5 (career-high No.5)
Career singles titles: 2
Career main-draw win-loss record at Cincinnati Open: 3-2
Best Cincinnati Open result: Quarterfinals (2023)

6. Jessica Pegula

View Profile
Ranking: No.6 (career-high No.3)
Career singles titles: 5
Career main-draw win-loss record at Cincinnati Open: 7-5
Best Cincinnati Open result: Quarterfinals (2020, 2022)

7. Zheng Qinwen
Ranking: No.7 (career-high No.7)
Career singles titles: 4
Career main-draw win-loss record at Cincinnati Open: 2-1
Best Cincinnati Open result: Round of 16 (2023)

8. Jelena Ostapenko

View Profile
Ranking: No.11 (career-high No.5)
Career singles titles: 8
Career main-draw win-loss record at Cincinnati Open: 5-7
Best Cincinnati Open result: Round of 16 (2021)

We present to you the women’s wild cards for the 2024 Cincinnati Open!

Which one of these ladies is going to make a statement at this year’s tournament? pic.twitter.com/XGWbFlsTz6
— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) August 6, 2024

Wild cards into the main draw include Grand Slam champions Caroline Wozniacki

(2018 Australian Open) and (2019 US Open), as well as Americans and . Stearns is a Cincinnati native who played her first WTA qualifying draw at this event in 2021.

The former Cincinnati Open champions in the main draw are Victoria Azarenka

(2013 and 2020), (2016) and (2023). Azarenka and Serena Williams are the only players to have won this title multiple times during the 2000s.

Eight Grand Slam champions are currently entered in the main draw: Iga Swiatek

, , , , , , and wild cards and .

Three Top 10 players pulled out due to injury. Wimbledon champion and World No.10 Barbora Krejcikova

has withdrawn from the event with a continuing left thigh injury. World No.9 withdrew with a continuing shoulder injury, while World No.8 also pulled out injured.

Among the other withdrawals are former Cincinnati champions Caroline Garcia

and , as well as 2023 Wimbledon champion .

How did last summer's North American hard-court swing play out?

Here's a look at 2023's champions and finalists from this portion of the season on the North American continent:

Washington (WTA 500): Coco Gauff

def.
Montreal (WTA 1000): def.
Cincinnati (WTA 1000): Coco Gauff def.
Cleveland (WTA 250): def.
US Open (Grand Slam): Coco Gauff def.
San Diego (WTA 500): def.
Guadalajara (WTA 1000): Maria Sakkari def.

WTA Staff