The world’s best tennis players are preparing for the US Open by competing in a number of warm-up tournaments.This includes the Cincinnati Masters, otherwise known as the Western & Southern Open, the seventh WTA 1000 event of the season.With 900 ranking points and $412,000 (£341,000) in prize money for the champion, the tournament has attracted the biggest names in women’s tennis.GiveMeSport Women runs through everything you need to know about the Cincinnati Masters, including the schedule, the draw and how to watch.

When is the Cincinnati Masters?

With the qualifying stage at the Cincinnati Masters complete, main draw play begins today.

The singles final will be played on Sunday, August 21st, at 2:00 pm EDT.

Where is the Cincinnati Masters?

The Cincinnati Masters will take place at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason.

The grounds include four permanent tennis stadia, making it the only venue outside of the four Grand Slams venues to have more than two permanent stadia.

The tournament is played on hard courts.

Who is playing at the Cincinnati Masters?

World number one and top seed Iga ÅšwiÄ…tek is among the Cincinnati Masters field, as is world number two and three, Anett Kontaveit and Maria Sakkari.

Emma Raducanu will continue to prepare for her US Open title defence at the tournament, while home favourites Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff will aim to continue their excellent form this season.

The Williams sisters will also be competing, with Serena now on a farewell tour after announcing she would be “evolving away from tennis” after the US Open.

Other notable names include Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep and Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.

Ashleigh Barty will not be defending her title after announcing her retirement from tennis earlier this year.

The Cincinnati Masters draw

The full draw for the Cincinnati Masters can be found here:

When is Serena Williams vs Emma Raducanu?

The most mouthwatering tie of the opening round is Emma Raducanu vs Serena Williams – the reigning US Open champion against the 23-time Grand Slam winner.

Fans were left furious after the blockbuster clash was rescheduled from Monday to Tuesday “on account of a number of factors related to scheduling.”

An exact time for the fixture has not yet been announced.

How to watch the Cincinnati Masters

UK viewers can watch the Cincinnati Masters on Amazon Prime Video.