The Cincinnati Masters, known as the Western & Southern Open for sponsorship reasons, awarded wild cards to a trio of former US Open champions.
The event is coming up in the next month, as it's traditionally held after the Canadian Open. Most players take part in both events, but for example, Novak Djokovic will be skipping the Canadian Open in favor of the Cincinnati Masters this year.
It will be the first event in the United States for Djokovic since his 2021 US Open final, which he lost to Daniil Medvedev. He'll be joined there by many great players, including a trio of former US Open champions as Bianca Andreescu, Stan Wawrinka, and Sloane Stephens all got wild card entries into the event.
Bianca Andreescu won the US Open a few years ago, beating Serena Williams in the final, and she's going to take part in the Cincinnati Masters. Due to the field being as strong as it is, she got a wild card to avoid having to play the qualifiers.
She's yet to find a really good rhythm this year, but perhaps returning to the North American hard courts will do the trick. She's had some success there, and she's very motivated right now. Another former US Open champion, Sloane Stephens, will also play at the event with a wild card.
She, too, has had a rough year with some bad showings, but fans will be hoping that she can turn it around on her native soil. Finally, there is one for Stan Wawrinka. Who could forget his US Open run, as many Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal fans rejoiced when they watched that final?
He, too, will be in Cincinnati by virtue of a wild card. It's proving a rather strong event, with Borna Coric and Caroline Garcia being the defending champions.
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