The soon-to-retire Serena Williams has drawn British number one Emma Raducanu as her next opponent ahead of what will likely be her farewell tournament at the US Open next month.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion announced she will be "evolving away" from tennis earlier this week in an emotional write up for Vogue.

Williams and Raducanu are set to face each other at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.

The two stars have never played each other before, so this meeting is going to be a must-match for fans and neutrals alike.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of the blockbuster match-up.

Where are Williams and Raducanu playing?

Williams and Raducanu will face off in the first round of the Western and Southern Open.

The event — also known as the Cincinnati Masters — is played on a hardcourt surface and is held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Ohio, USA.

The Western and Southern Open is the final WTA 1000 event before the US Open and is regarded as the warm-up tournament before players prepare to compete at the fourth Grand Slam of the calendar year.

MASON, OH - AUGUST 21: General view during the women's final between Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic and Angelique Kerber of Germany on Day 9 of the Western & Southern Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on August 21, 2016 in Mason, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

When are Williams and Raducanu playing?

Williams and Raducanu will face off on Tuesday, August 16th 2022.

For British viewers, it will likely be an early hours showing. The estimated start time is 00:00 BST — this page will be updated once a time is confirmed.

The match was initially set to take place on Monday but due to some scheduling issues, it has been pushed back.

The winner of the first round clash will take on either Kaia Kanepi or Victoria Azarenka in the next stage.

How can I watch Williams vs Raducanu?

The Western and Southern Open clash will be able to watch live on Amazon Prime Video, which can be accessed via television, desktop and mobile devices.

Cincinnati Masters record

Williams has won the Cincinnati Masters on two occasions during her decorated career. She reached the final for the first time in 2013 before winning back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015.

Raducanu, whose WTA Tour debut came just 14 months ago, has never played at the tournament before and will enjoy her Western and Southern debut against the legendary Williams.

On paper, Williams looks the favourite to progress into the second round due to her experience at Cincinnati. However, with Raducanu preparing to defend her US Open title, it is shaping up to be a real thriller of a match.

CINCINNATI, OH - AUGUST 17: Serena Williams poses with the winner's trophy during the trophy ceremony after a final match against Ana Ivanovic of Serbia on day 9 of the Western & Southern Open at the Linder Family Tennis Center on August 17, 2014 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jonathan Moore/Getty Images)

Serena Williams stats

Williams' tennis career is legendary, that goes without saying.

She holds the record for the most Grand Slam titles won by any player during the Open Era and is just one away from equalling Margaret Court's all-time record.

Since turning pro in 1995, Williams has won a total of 73 singles titles, which averages out at 2.7 titles won every year since making her debut.

The 40-year-old spent a total of 319 weeks as the WTA world number one, including a joint-record of 186 consecutive weeks at the top.

Serena Williams
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 07: Serena Williams of the United States celebrates with the trophy after defeating Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark to win their women's singles final match on Day fourteen of the 2014 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2014 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Williams defeated Wozniacki in two sets by a score of 6-3, 6-3. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 07: Serena Williams of the United States celebrates with the trophy after defeating Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark to win their women's singles final match on Day fourteen of the 2014 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2014 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Williams defeated Wozniacki in two sets by a score of 6-3, 6-3. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Since winning her last Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open, Williams reached four major finals but lost each one of them.

Her form has gradually declined and injuries have played a big part in keeping her absent from most tournaments over the last two years.

Williams' last match ended in a second round defeat to Switzerland's Belinda Bencic at the National Bank Open in Canada earlier this month.

Emma Raducanu stats

Raducanu is currently preparing to play out her first ever Grand Slam title defence.

Later this month, she will return to the stage where her tennis career took off under unbelievable circumstances.

At the 2021 US Open, Raducanu stunned the world by becoming the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam title.

She had played in just four WTA tournaments prior to her triumph in New York and in the space of three months, the young Briton had skyrocketed from 366th to 23rd in the world.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 11: Emma Raducanu of Great Britain celebrates with the championship trophy after defeating Leylah Annie Fernandez of Canada during their Women's Singles final match on Day Thirteen of the 2021 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 11, 2021 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 11: Emma Raducanu of Great Britain celebrates with the championship trophy after defeating Leylah Annie Fernandez of Canada during their Women's Singles final match on Day Thirteen of the 2021 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 11, 2021 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

However, since her maiden Grand Slam title win, Raducanu has struggled to recreate her US Open form.

The world number 10 has failed to make it beyond the quarter-final of any tournament since September 2021 and, like Williams, has been hampered with a series of injuries which have forced her to withdraw from multiple tournaments.

Serena's farewell

After more than two decades on the court, Williams has made the difficult decision to step away from tennis.

In her exclusive with Vogue, the former world number one confirmed her participation at this year's US Open but revealed she would then be moving towards "other things that are important to me."

Serena Williams with daughter Olympia
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JANUARY 12: Serena Williams of the USA celebrates with daughter Alexis Olympia after winning the final match against Jessica Pegula of USA at ASB Tennis Centre on January 12, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JANUARY 12: Serena Williams of the USA celebrates with daughter Alexis Olympia after winning the final match against Jessica Pegula of USA at ASB Tennis Centre on January 12, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Young players like Coco Gauff, who grew up watching Williams on the court, are hoping they may get the chance to play against the tennis legend before she hangs up her racquet. For Raducanu, she will experience a once-in-a-lifetime moment when she faces one of the sport's greatest ever talents next week.

The Western and Southern Open will likely be Williams' final tournament before competing at the US Open. Players who have never come up against her before now will undoubtedly be crossing their fingers for their chance at facing the queen of the court before time runs out.