Dates, draws, prize money and everything you need to know

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.

Nineteen 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.

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, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Jasmine Paolini — 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 is currently scheduled to take place on Saturday, Aug. 10 at 3:30 p.m.

Who were last year’s champions?

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

Alycia Parks and Taylor Townsend 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

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

First round: 10 points | $14,800
Second round: 65 points | $20,650
Round of 16: 120 points | $36,454
Quarterfinals: 215 points | $72,965
Semifinals: 390 points | $158,944
Finalist: 650 points | $308,320
Champion: 1000 points | $523,485

Who is playing?

Here are stats for the projected Top 10 seeds:

1. Iga Swiatek
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
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
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
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
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
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. Danielle Collins
Ranking: No.8 (career-high No.7)
Career singles titles: 4
Career main-draw win-loss record at Cincinnati Open: 1-4
Best Cincinnati Open result: Second round (2023)

9. Maria Sakkari
Ranking: No.9 (career-high No.3)
Career singles titles: 2
Career main-draw win-loss record at Cincinnati Open: 8-6
Best Cincinnati Open result: Quarterfinals (2019, 2020)

10. Jelena Ostapenko
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)

Wild cards into the main draw include Grand Slam champions Caroline Wozniacki (2018 Australian Open) and Bianca Andreescu (2019 US Open), as well as Americans Peyton Stearns and Caroline Dolehide. 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), Karolina Pliskova (2016), Madison Keys (2019), and Coco Gauff (2023). Azarenka and Serena Williams are the only players to have won this title multiple times during the 2000s.

Eleven Grand Slam champions are currently entered in the main draw: Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jelena Ostapenko, Marketa Vondrousova, Victoria Azarenka, Karolina Pliskova, Sloane Stephens, and wild cards Caroline Wozniacki and Bianca Andreescu.

Wimbledon champion and World No.10 Barbora Krejcikova has withdrawn from the event due to a continuing left thigh injury. Veronika Kudermetova, Sorana Cirstea and former Cincinnati champion Caroline Garcia have also withdrawn from the main-draw entries.

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 performs. Maria Saccari
Montreal (WTA 1000): Jessica Pegula def. Liudmila Samsonova
Cincinnati (WTA 1000): Coco Gauff def. Karolina Muchova
Cleveland (WTA 250): Sara Sorribes Tormo def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
US Open (Grand Slam): Coco Gauff def. Aryna Sabalenka
San Diego (WTA 500): Barbora Krejcikova def. Sofia Kenin
Guadalajara (WTA 1000): Maria Sakkari def. Caroline Dolehide