Cincinnati 411: Dates, draws, schedule, prize money and more

After a quick stint in Canada, the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz heads back to the United States for the Cincinnati Open. The second of two consecutive WTA 1000 events, the Cincinnati Open serves as the biggest tune-up event into the season's final Grand Slam, the US Open. 

Nine top 10 players are currently in the field as well as five previous Cincinnati winners and 10 Grand Slam champions. Plus, 14-time Grand Slam doubles champions Serena Williams and Venus Williams will reunite in doubles after receiving a wild card.

The tournament, a joint event with the ATP, will be held on the outdoor hard courts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. Here is everything you need to know about the Cincinnati Open:

What are the dates for each round?

Main-draw play from Cincinnati begins Thursday, August 13 and will end the following Sunday, August 23, with the singles final not before 7 p.m. local time (12 a.m. BST, 1 a.m. CEST, August 14). The doubles final will be held the day prior, August 22, at 11 a.m. 

Here are the dates for each round:

Singles
First round: August 13-14
Second round: August 15-16
Third round: August 17-18
Fourth round: August 19
Quarterfinals: August 20-21
Semifinals: August 22
Final: August 23

Doubles
First round: August 16-17
Second round: August 18-19
Quarterfinals: August 20
Semifinals: August 21
Final: August 22

What is the singles draw and who are some of the stars competing?

In Cincinnati, there is a 96-player singles field with the 32 seeds receiving byes into the second round.

Similar to Toronto, Sabalenka will be the top seed, and is followed by Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff that will lead each quarter of the draw.

Sabalenka (2024) and Gauff (2023) are joined by Iga Swiatek (2025), Madison Keys (2019) and Karolina Pliskova (2016) as past winners returning to Cincinnati. Naomi Osaka (2020) and Jessica Pegula (2024) are former runner-ups among the star-studded 2026 lineup. 

Rounding out the top 10 seeds includes Mirra Andreeva, Linda Noskova, Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova, Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk.

Of note, 2025 finalist Jasmine Paolini, Wimbledon finalist Karolina Muchova, Hailey Baptiste and Victoria Mboko are among the notable names unable to compete with various continuing injuries and recoveries.

Projected seeded players

1. Aryna Sabalenka
2. Elena Rybakina
3. Jessica Pegula
4. Coco Gauff
5. Mirra Andreeva
6. Linda Noskova
7. Iga Swiatek
8. Amanda Anisimova
9. Elina Svitolina 
10. Marta Kostyuk
11. Naomi Osaka
12. Belinda Bencic 
13. Iva Jovic
14. Diana Shnaider
15. Sorana Cirstea
16. Ekaterina Alexandrova 
17. Alexandra Eala
18. Anna Kalinskaya 
19. Maja Chwalinska
20. Madison Keys
21. Elise Mertens
22. Marie Bouzkova
23. Barbora Krejcikova
24. Anastasia Potapova 
25. Emma Navarro
26. Jelena Ostapenko 
27. Clara Tauson 
28. Ann Li 
29. Maria Sakkari 
30. Leylah Fernandez 
31. Donna Vekic 
32. Janice Tjen

Draw ceremony: The singles draw ceremony will be held Tuesday, August 11 at 3 p.m. local time. The doubles draw will be released three days later on August 14.

Singles wild cards: Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, Darja Vidmanova, Elvina Kalieva, Caroline Dolehide, Lois Boisson -- more to come

Taylor Townsend originally received a wild card but moved into the main draw after withdrawals. Therefore, her wild card opens back up.

Withdrawals*: Karolina Muchova, Jasmine Paolini, Jaqueline Cristian

Moved in*: Kamilla Rakhimova, Maria Timofeeva, Taylor Townsend, Simona Waltert, Yulia Putintseva

Next eight alternates*: Renata Zarazua, Lilli Tagger, Eva Lys, Solana Sierra, Aoi Ito, Oksana Selekhmeteva, Wang Xiyu, Alina Korneeva

*Entry lists are subject to change. The full player list can be found here. 

Who are the defending champions?

One year ago, Swiatek won her 24th of 25 career WTA singles titles and her 11th WTA 1000 with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Paolini. The title was part of a spectacular summer for Swiatek, who won Wimbledon a couple months before and in Seoul one month later.

En route to the final, she bested the ranks of Rybakina, Kalinskaya, Cirstea and Potapova, and she did not drop a set throughout the tournament. 

"I don’t know why I win the tournaments that we’re like the last ones in terms of what I thought they were going to be," Swiatek said during the trophy presentation. "So, thank you [to my team] for forcing me to become a better player and learn how to play on all these faster surfaces."

In doubles, Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski defeated Guo Hanyu and Alexandra Panova 6-4, 6-3 to win the Cincinnati doubles title.

What are the ranking points and prize money at stake?

At the Cincinnati Open, a total of $7,433,076 is available in prize money. As with all WTA 1000 events, 1000 ranking points are on the table in both the PIF WTA Rankings and the Race to the WTA Finals at Indian Wells. 

Any change in rank is based on how the player performs in the tournament compared to the points earned in the same week last year. 

Here is a breakdown of the ranking points and prize money for each round in both draws: 

Singles (ranking points | prize money)

First round: 10 | $16,260
Second round: 35 | $26,255
Third round: 65 | $47,375
Fourth round: 120 | $81,752
Quarterfinal: 215 | $154,210
Semifinal: 390 | $297,315
Finalist: 650 | $564,920
Champion: 100 | $1,085,220

Doubles (ranking points | prize money)

First round: 10 | $15,800
Second round: 120 | $28,810
Quarterfinal: 215 | $53,900
Semifinal: 390 | $107,760
Finalist: 650 | $200,690
Champion: 1000 | $379,080