The Western and Southern Open has moved east from Cincinatti to the Big Apple, a precursor to the August 31 kick-off of the US Open. Qualifying rounds are underway today, featuring #TeamSoCal favorites Steve Johnson, Marcos Giron, Brandon Nakashima, and more.
The W&S Open will be played at Flushing Meadows as the first effort to close the “bubble” around players headed to New York for the Open tune-up amidst the spread of COVID-19. Main draw competition begins on Saturday following tomorrow’s completion of the qualifying rounds.
San Diego’s Brandon Nakashima headlines the Southern California qualifiers. Nakashima, coming off an impressive rookie season on the World TeamTennis circuit, joins Steve Johnson (Redondo Beach), Marcos Giron (Thousand Oaks), and former UCLA champion Mackenzie McDonald in Thursday’s qualifying action.
In the main draw, Novak Djokovic is the top seed ahead of Taylor Fritz (Rancho Palos Verdes) and Sam Querrey, slated to begin on Saturday. For more on Taylor Fritz and his return to action this weekend, read this feature by the Los Angeles Times.
Jennifer Brady, winner at the Top Seed Open in Lexington last week, is a former UCLA Bruin who enters the W&S Open as the #48 ranked player on the WTA Tour. She is joined by Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka, and Coco Gauff, as well as top seed Karolina Pliskova.
Learn more about the Western & Southern Open at wsopen.com.