CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Olympics have come to a close and the Emirates Airlines US Open Series resumes as the tour heads into the final Grand Slam tournament of 2016; who will strike gold at the Western & Southern Open?

1) The draw is out.
The main draw has shifted a bit as bronze medalist Petra Kvitova has pulled out; Elina Svitolina moves from World No.1 Serena Williams’ section to become the No.17 seed – check out the draw right here!

2) This is the last chance for most to find their game before the US Open.
For the majority of leading names, Cincinnati represents the final opportunity for match practice ahead of the US Open – the final major of the year begins on August 29.

3) Sixteen of the Top 20 players in the world are in Cincinnati.
It’s a Grand Slam-quality field led by all three major champions in 2016 – Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber, and Garbiñe Muguruza. Rogers Cup champion Simona Halep and BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global champion Agnieszka Radwanska are also in attendance.

4) Serena shoots for a third straight Cincinnati title.
Coming off a disappointing early loss at the Olympic tennis event, Serena will try to reverse her fortunes at a tournament she’s won the last two years; in 2015, she knocked out Simona Halep in two tight sets, and would like a third Cincinnati crown to cement her US Open preparation.

5) The World No.1 is in play.
Taking a late wildcard into the Western & Southern Open, Serena has control over the top spot; should she reach the quarterfinals, she guarantees to extend her 183 straight weeks atop the WTA Rankings through the US Open. Should she lose early and Kerber takes the title, it would be the Australian Open champion who would become the first German since Stefanie Graf to reach No.1. 

6) …and Kerber has a tough road to the final.
In the same half of the draw as Halep, Radwanska, and a red-hot Johanna Konta, Kerber could face Barbora Strycova – who knocked her out in Madrid – before the quarterfinals, and French Open semifinalist Kiki Bertens (who beat her in Paris) by the last eight.

7) Serena’s road is hardly simpler.
The 22-time Grand Slam champ could renew her rivalry with Christina McHale, who took her to three sets twice in 2016, and could face No.12 seed Timea Bacsinszky or No.7 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals.

8) Belinda’s back!
Belinda Bencic was lighting up the WTA tour this time last year, but back and wrist injuries have beset her since making her Top 10 debut. Seeded No.13 in Cincinnait, she is projected to face No.8 seed Dominika Cibulkova by the third round.

9) The Santina Split is official.
With World Co-No.1s Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza playing apart for the first time this season – Hingis with CoCo Vandeweghe and Mirza with Strycova – French Open champs Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic are top seeds in a stacked doubles draw – check it out here!

10) Find out where you can watch the action from Cincinnati here!