MASON, OH, USA - The Top 2 seeds make their first appearances of the week on Tuesday, as opening round action continues at the $175,000 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, a Tier III event on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. By the end of play, 15 of the 16 second round berths will have been filled. Read below for a preview of the marquee match-ups of Day 2.
Grandstand (second match after 11am)
(Q) Brenda Schultz-McCarthy (NED) vs. Catalina Castaño (COL) - First Meeting
In the spring of last year, Schultz-McCarthy came out of retirement to give the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour another shot. The Dutchwoman was a Top 10 player in the 1990s with a decorated past; upon returning to the circuit she struggled to regain the form she enjoyed in her glory days, but she has slowly been working her way back into winning ways, recently capturing an ITF Women's Circuit title on the slick lawns of Surbiton. She showed a lot of courage to come out of the qualifying draw over the weekend, her 67(5) 60 76(5) victory over Monique Adamczak in the final round - where she was down 5-2 in the third - reminding us all the 36-year-old is as young as ever in spirit. A first round encounter with feisty Colombian Castaño will be a good test for her.
Center Court (first match at 7pm)
(1) Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) vs. Tatiana Poutchek (BLR) - Chakvetadze leads, 1-0
The tournament's top seed plays her opener against Tatiana Poutchek under the lights of Center Court, hoping to enjoy a successful career debut at the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open. Chakvetadze has been one of the fastest-rising players over the last several months, capturing her first four Sony Ericsson WTA Tour titles at Guangzhou and Moscow last fall and Hobart and 's-Hertogenbosch this year. She has been perfect in finals, in fact; that poise in pressure situations is one of several qualities that has carried her into the world's Top 10 this season, all the way upto No.7 during the Wimbledon fortnight. She is currently ranked No.8 in the world.
Chakvetadze has played Poutchek just once previously, bouncing the Belarusian, 62 61, in the second round of Wimbledon just a few weeks ago.
Center Court (second after 7pm)
(2) Patty Schnyder (SUI) vs. (LL) Monique Adamczak (AUS) - First Meeting
With Lindsay Davenport having just had her first child and Vera Zvonareva out with a left wrist injury, Schnyder is the only one at the 2007 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open to have hoisted the championship trophy before, having won it two years ago. She struggled in the early stages of this year, winning nine of her first 18 matches, but has turned it on since, winning 15 of 19 and notching victories over Martina Hingis and Serena Williams. The Swiss is coming off her best ever Wimbledon, reaching the round of 16 for the first time in 12 tries. She begins her campaign for a second Cincinnati title against Australian lucky loser Adamczak, who unfortunately squandered that 5-2 third set lead against Schultz-McCarthy in the qualifying but is now granted a main draw berth upon the withdrawals of Meilen Tu and Severine Brémond.
Schnyder and Adamczak will be playing for the first time.
Nine more first round match-ups, including those of No.5 seed Aiko Nakamura and No.9 seed Jill Craybas, are also on the Tuesday schedule.
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