Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Alex Eala and other WTA stars have learned who they could play at the 2026 Cincinnati Open.

Main draw play at the 98th edition of the women’s tournament in Cincinnati will begin on Thursday 13 August and finish with the final on Sunday 23 August.

The WTA 1000 event, which is staged at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, is a key fixture of the North American hard-court swing that concludes with the US Open.

Swiatek is the reigning Cincinnati Open champion, having beaten Jasmine Paolini in the 2025 championship match.

Jasmine Paolini is among the six women who withdrew from the Cincinnati entry list, with Karolina Muchova, Victoria Mboko, Emma Raducanu, Hailey Baptiste and Jacqueline Cristian also absent.

The Cincinnati draw features 96 players, including 32 seeds who receive an opening round bye.

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The top eight seeds are: Aryna Sabalenka (1), Elena Rybakina (2), Jessica Pegula (3), Coco Gauff (4), Mirra Andreeva (5), Linda Noskova (6), Iga Swiatek (7) and Elina Svitolina (8).

No 1 seed Sabalenka will play Talia Gibson or a qualifier in her opening match before a potential third round meeting with Donna Vekic.

The four-time Grand Slam winner is projected to face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round and eighth seed Svitolina or 11th seed Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals.

Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva, who are seeded fourth and fifth respectively, are on course to meet in the last eight, and the winner of that potential matchup could play Sabalenka in the semi-finals.

Ninth seed Amanda Anisimova and 17th seed Eala are projected to meet in the third round, and the winner could play No 6 seed and Wimbledon champion Noskova in the last 16.

The player to progress from that quarter could meet No 3 seed Pegula in the quarter-finals.

Second seed Rybakina and seventh seed Swiatek are projected to face off in a potential blockbuster last eight matchup in the bottom quarter.

WTA Cincinnati Open 2026 projected quarter-finals

- Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs Elina Svitolina (8)

- Coco Gauff (4) vs Mirra Andreeva (5)

- Linda Noskova (6) vs Jessica Pegula (3)

- Iga Swiatek (7) vs Elena Rybakina (2)

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