US Open Series Preview: Western & Southern Open

The Rogers Cup just wrapped up and the US Open may be right around the corner, but there's still another massive tournament waiting in the wings this week: the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

An ATP Masters 1000 and a WTA Premier 5, the event features all the top players healthy enough to be there, including Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Naomi Osaka, Ashleigh Barty and Simona Halep.

There's even a name that hasn't appeared in a draw in a while, at least in singles: Andy Murray.

The former No. 1 will play his first singles match since the Australian Open against France's Richard Gasquet, with No. 4 seed Dominic Thiem waiting in the second round. More importantly, though, this will be an indicator to Murray of whether he's ready to ramp his singles schedule back up.

"I think this is the test," James Blake said on Tennis Channel Live. "I think he's gonna see if he can get through two-out-of-three in Cincinnati, and then maybe make a decision [about the US Open] after that."

On the women's side, Bianca Andreescu withdrew after winning the Rogers Cup over an injured Serena Williams, giving No. 3 seed Karolina Pliskova a significantly smoother draw.

Renewed world No. 1 Naomi Osaka was once again drawn into the same quarter as Serena, who defeated her 6-3, 6-4 in Toronto. But a rematch this week is looking unlikely considering Williams' retirement with a back injury in the Canada final.

The defending champions in Cincinnati are Djokovic and Kiki Bertens. Federer holds the record for the most titles there, with seven.

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