Pegula, Jovic headline ATX Open field in Austin

Reigning champion Jessica Pegula will headline the field at the WTA 250 ATX Open in Austin, the first WTA tournament of the year in the United States.

The ATX Open, which begins on February 23 and runs through March 1, is also the first tournament of the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz's Sunshine Swing.

Joining Pegula in the field is countrywoman Iva Jovic, who has started the season 11-3 and beat Jasmine Paolini in Melbourne to advance to the Australian Open quarterfinals.

Other Americans in the field include World No. 37 McCartney Kessler, World No. 62 Ashlyn Krueger, World No. 68 Peyton Stearns, World No. 85 Caty McNally and World No. 96 Katie Volynets.

It's a homecoming for Stearns, 24, who won the NCAA title for the University of Texas in 2022. This will be her fourth appearance at the tournament. She reached the quarterfinals in 2023, but lost in the first round each of the last two years.

World No. 39 Eva Lys, currently out of action and nursing a hyperextended right knee, is also expected to play.

Pegula, ranked No. 6 in the PIF WTA Rankings and coming off a run to the Australian Open semifinals, won this tournament in her first appearance last season, defeating Ajla Tomljanovic -- who's also in this year's field -- in the semifinals and Kessler in the final.

Kessler, who played collegiately for the University of Florida, also reached the doubles final last year. Teaming with Zhang Shuai, they fell to Yuan Yue and Anna Blinkova 3-6, 6-1, [10-4] in the final.

Played on outdoor hard courts at the Westwood Country Club, the ATX Open became a WTA Tour event in 2023.

After the ATX Open -- which takes place the same week as the Merida Open in Mexico -- the tour will head to Indian Wells and then Miami.