In pictures: The story of the 2020 Western & Southern Open
From Serena Williams's dramatic three-setters to Naomi Osaka leading a pause in play to take a stance against racial injustice, all the best photos from the 2020 Western & Southern Open, relocated to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
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With the Western & Southern Open relocated from Cincinnati to New York, Russia's Liudmila Samsonova continued her strong 2020 form to upset No.3 seed Lauren Davis 6-4, 6-1 in the first round of qualifying.
Cincy Tennis
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Wildcard Usue Maitane Arconada crushes a short ball during her all-American first-round qualifying derby against No.18 seed Christina McHale.
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Former World No.24 Christina McHale fought past Usue Maitane Arconada 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in two hours and five minutes.
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New York-born Spaniard Paula Badosa, playing her first match since the tour resumption, got off to a winning start as the No.21 qualifying seed defeated Francesca Di Lorenzo in straight sets.
Cincy Tennis
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15-year-old wildcard Robin Montgomery had won her maiden ITF W25 title in Las Vegas in March prior to the tour pause and, competing in her second WTA qualifying tournament, fell to No.10 seed Sorana Cirstea in the first round.
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Fellow 2004-born talent Coco Gauff practised her volleys as she was pitted against No.13 seed Maria Sakkari in the main draw - with a potential third-round clash with No.3 seed Serena Williams lying ahead.
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Auckland finalist Jessica Pegula squeezed past Varvara Gracheva 7-5, 7-6(8) in the first qualifying round, saving two set points in the second set before taking her third match point.
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2019 Bogota runner-up Astra Sharma needed only 49 minutes to rout No.9 seed Taylor Townsend 6-2, 6-0 in the first round of qualifying.
Cincy Tennis
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Surging 17-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez knocked off yet another pair of higher-ranked opponents, conceding just five games each to Anna Blinkova and Kristie Ahn en route to qualifying for the main draw.
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Anna Kalinskaya came through qualifying for the second tournament in a row with straight-sets defeats of Patricia Maria Tig and Sorana Cirstea.
Cincy Tennis
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A masked Daria Kasatkina heads to her second qualifying round match against Christina McHale.
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Playing her first tournament of the resumption, Christina McHale posted her first win over Daria Kasatkina in three attempts to qualify for the main draw 6-3, 7-5.
Cincy Tennis
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Coco Gauff took part in Media Day, saying: "The biggest thing I can ask people is to continue to wear their masks, continue to social distance so things can get back to normal quicker."
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2014-15 Western & Southern Open champion Serena Williams also emphasized the importance of taking precautions in a pandemic at Media Day, saying: "You might see me walking around with my hazmat glasses - and mask, obviously!"
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Lexington quarterfinalist Catherine Bellis's comeback continued apace, with the 21-year-old coming from a set down against Ysaline Bonaventure to book her place in the main draw 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
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Top qualifying seed Jil Teichmann's hardcourt hot streak also showed no sign of halting as the Lexington runner-up dispatched Shelby Rogers in straight sets for the second tournament in a row to make the main draw.
Cincy Tennis
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Bernarda Pera flashes a forehand during her three-set victory over Heather Watson.
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Maria Sakkari was handed a tricky first-round draw against Coco Gauff but handled the teenager impressively, scoring a 6-1, 6-3 win in 66 minutes.
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Victoria Azarenka was another to sprint through into the second round. She took just 72 minutes to dispatched No.15 seed Donna Vekic, 6-2, 6-3.
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In one of the final matches of the day, Dayana Yastremska avoided an upset as the No.16 seed battled to a 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 win over wildcard Venus Williams, saving 11 of 14 break points in the process.
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Anett Kontaveit was an early winner on Sunday, easing past lucky loser Daria Kasatkina in little over an hour.
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Elise Mertens also made an express start as the Prague finalist took exactly an hour to dispatch the challenge of Rebecca Peterson.
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Catherine Bellis went all the way to three sets with Oceane Dodin before prevailing in a decisive tiebreak.
Western & Southern Open
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Caroline Garcia proved too strong for Sloane Stephens as the Frenchwoman picked up a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory in 97 minutes.
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Sofia Kenin got on a roll against Alizé Cornet in the second set of her encounter with the Frenchwoman, but despite recovering from 2-5 down was unable to complete the turnaround.
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Cornet scored one of the biggest wins of her career against the Australian Open champion.
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Veronika Kudermetova authored a notable upset as she overcame top seed Karolina Pliskova, 7-5, 6-4, rallying impressively from 4-1 down in the first set to get the win.
Western & Southern Open
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"Team McCoco" -- Coco Gauff and Caty McNally -- started their doubles campaign with a straight-set first-round win over Magda Linette and Heather Watson. Gauff and McNally won two WTA doubles titles last season, in Washington D.C. and Luxembourg.
Western & Southern Open
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Two-time Western & Southern Open champion Serena Williams needed two hours and 48 minutes -- her longest match since 2012 -- and a final-set tiebreak to get past Arantxa Rus in the second round.
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Former World No.2 Vera Zvonareva booked a spot in the round of 16 after a 6-1, 6-1 win over fellow qualifier Laura Siegemund.
Western & Southern Open
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Marie Bouzkova fought back from a set down to upset her fellow Czech, 6th-seeded Petra Kvitova, and clinch a spot in the third round.
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Naomi Osaka also dropped the opening set of her second-round clash, but the No.4 seed overcame a spirited challenge from Karolina Muchova to get the win after over two-and-a-half hours of action.
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Former World No.1 Victoria Azarenka kept her strong run going at the event, defeating Caroline Garcia in their second-round tilt for her second consecutive straight-set victory.
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In Monday's final match, Ons Jabeur stunned defending champion Madison Keys, 6-4, 6-1, to complete the third-round singles lineup at the Western & Southern Open.
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Elise Mertens continued to successfully maintain her strong resumption form as the Prague finalist dispatched Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets to reach her second Cincinnati quarterfinal.
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Aryna Sabalenka found herself embroiled in two three-setters in a row against American players, squeezing past Catherine Bellis in a third-set tiebreak before finding herself in a decider again in the third round against Jessica Pegula.
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Auckland runner-up Jessica Pegula was able to finish what Catherine Bellis couldn't, though, coming through 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 over Aryna Sabalenka to seal her third career Top 20 win.
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Having dropped just two games to Kirsten Flipkens in her opener, Johanna Konta turned in another clean performance against Vera Zvonareva, dispatching the 2006 Cincinnati champion in straight sets without facing a break point to reach the quarterfinals.
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An intriguing third-round clash between young power hitters Naomi Osaka and Dayana Yastremska was also a battle of the Pokémon, as Osaka arrived wearing a Gengar mask...
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...while Yastremska, currently coached by Osaka's former coach Sascha Bajin, opted for a Pikachu design.
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On court, Osaka asserted her authority ruthlessly, conceding just four games to the younger Yastremska to book her second Cincinnati quarterfinal spot.
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Serena Williams took the first set over Maria Sakkari despite failing to serve it out at the first opportunity, and won four straight games from 1-3 down in the second set to reach the brink of victory.
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However, Maria Sakkari fought back to take the second set on a tiebreak - and though she was unable to take seven match points for a rare bagel third set over Serena Williams, closed out her eighth for a 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-1 victory.
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Elise Mertens was the first player into the semifinals, needing just 64 minutes to outfox Jessica Pegula and make her debut in the last four of a Premier 5 event.
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Palermo runner-up Anett Kontaveit surged to a set-and-a-break lead over Naomi Osaka in the second quarterfinal, whom she had not beaten in three previous meetings.
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Showing off the slice she had been working on over lockdown as well as her trademark power, Naomi Osaka roared back to squeeze out Anett Kontaveit in a 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 thriller.
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Victoria Azarenka was overjoyed to reach her biggest semifinal since Miami 2018, saving four set points in the first set before quelling Ons Jabeur 7-6(9), 6-2.
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The last quarterfinal found Maria Sakkari bidding to make the last four of a Premier 5 tournament for the third time, following Wuhan 2017 and Rome 2019.
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However, Johanna Konta continued her impregnable serving show this week to dispatch Maria Sakkari in straight sets, reaching the semifinals without being broken at any point.
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"Before I am an athlete, I am a Black woman," wrote Naomi Osaka as play was paused Thursday in solidarity with nationwide protests against the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.
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The tournament would calls off play on Thursday to "collectively take a stance against racial inequality and social injustice that once again has been thrust to the forefront in the United States".
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Naomi Osaka makes her way to the court for her semifinal with Elise Mertens on Grandstand.
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The Japanese player would win through after little over two hours, 6-2, 7-6(5).
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Victoria Azarenka also made the final, having fought back from a set down to produce a thrilling success against No.8 seed Johanna Konta, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.
W&S Open
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No.3 seeds Demi Schuurs and Kveta Peschke claimed the doubles title over 2nd-seeded Nicole Melichar and Xu Yifan after a decisive match tiebreak. It was the first title Schuurs and Peschke won as teammates.
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Unfortunately for Naomi Osaka, a hamstring injury she aggravated during her semifinal left her unable to contest the final against Victoria Azarenka. Osaka gave the walkover to her opponent and finished as runner-up.
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Victoria Azarenka finished the week as champion, winning her 21st career WTA singles title, and her first since 2016.
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Azarenka, who added another Western & Southern Open championship trophy to her first from 2013, also pointed out in her post-ceremony press conference that this was her first title as a mother.
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