First Rehearsal

The WTA’s summer hard-court season kicked off last week in Stanford and Washington, D.C., but this week something bigger begins: The summer of Serena and the Slam. After withdrawing from Stanford, Serena Williams will make her North American debut in Toronto.

Here’s a look ahead at what she’ll face, and who might be able to knock her off stride as she gets ready for the U.S. Open. It will be a proper test: Sixteen of the Top 17 women are in the draw, and the one who isn’t, Maria Sharapova, may have been the least likely to beat Serena of anyone.

Serena lost to her sister Venus in last year's Rogers Cup semifinals in Montreal, but she won the title in Toronto two years ago. Her focus is always on the majors, but that will truer than ever this summer: You have to think that if Serena has any physical struggles in Toronto or Cincinnati, she won't hesitate to pull the plug.

If she is healthy, she’s obviously the favorite, and this draw shows just how far ahead of the rest of the field she is at the moment. Serena is 40-1 in 2015, and while the field is deep here, it’s still hard to find someone who is a legitimate threat to hand her a second loss. Of course, Serena has her off days, and especially her off sets; 14 of those 40 wins have gone the distance.

If she has another, who could take advantage? One player in her quarter who has done it before is Sam Stosur. But while the erratic Aussie has had a solid summer and just reached the semis in D.C, she’ll have to win three matches to get a crack at Serena, which is hardly a sure thing.

Also here: Lucie Safarova, Andrea Petkovic, and Stanford finalist Karolina Pliskova.

Sleeper: Stosur

Caroline Wozniacki’s hard-court campaign will get a reboot in Toronto; the first go-round ended with an early loss to Varvara Lepchencko in Stanford. This week might not be any easier: Last year’s U.S. Open finalist will start against either Belinda Bencic or Eugenie Bouchard. But it’s Wozniacki's possible third-round opponent who should really worry her. Venus Williams, last year’s finalist in Canada, is 7-0 in their head-to-head.

Also here: Ana Ivanovic, the 2006 Rogers Cup champ.

First-round matches to watch:

—Bencic vs. Bouchard. Will dropping her coach give Genie a boost at home?

—V. Williams vs. Sabine Lisicki

See what a run to the Wimbledon final can do for you? Suddenly Garbine Muguruza is a Top 8 seed at a big event. Last year, after reaching the French Open quarters, she struggled as the season progressed; is she better prepared for the long haul this time? She could have a tough second match against another steady riser this season, Timea Bacsinszky.

The other side of this section is led by No. 3 seed Petra Kvitova. As much as the Czech loves Wimbledon, that’s about as much as she dislikes playing in North America in the summer. Her draw likely won’t make her feel any better: There’s a good chance she could have to open against Victoria Azarenka.

Also here: CoCo Vandeweghe. The Wimbledon quarterfinalist got off to a slow start in D.C., losing her opener to Christina McHale. She might play Bacsinszky in the second round.

First-round match to watch: Azarenka vs. Elina Svitolina

Potential Second-Round Match to Watch: Kvitova vs. Azarenka

The women’s draw saves its biggest question mark for last. What, specifically, should we expect from Simona Halep? The last time she was on hard courts in this hemisphere, she was tearing up the circuit; in the spring, she won the title in Indian Wells and pushed Serena to the limit in Miami. Since then, Halep has faltered early at both the French Open and Wimbledon, and she left the latter event sounding confused as to her mental approach. Halep will have to be thinking clearly in her opener, which will be against either Caroline Garcia or Jelena Jankovic.

Also here: Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska and Stanford finalist Angelique Kerber.

First round matches to watch:

—Sloane Stephens vs. Dominika Cibulkova

—Alizé Cornet vs. Carla Suarez Navarro

—Jankovic vs. Garcia

Semifinals: S. Williams d. V. Williams; Azarenka d. Radwanska

Final: S. Williams d. Azarenka