By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday August 21, 2020
Sebastian Korda qualified for his first Masters 1000 main draw and all 24 qualifiers have been placed at the Western and Southern Open.
Photo Source: AP
The qualies are set and the main draw is about to commence at the Western and Southern Open. 12 men and women qualified for the singles draw at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, including 17-year-old Leylah Fernandez on the women’s side and 20-year-old Sebastian Korda on the men’s side.
Fernandez, who has managed a stellar year despite all the chaos in 2020, will make her first main draw appearance at Cincinnati after defeating American Kristie Ahn 6-4 6-1. The Canadian southpaw will square off with Ons Jabeur in first-round action in Cincinnati.
Also qualifying through on Friday on the women’s side was 20-year-old American Ann Li. The Pennsylvania native earns a first-round date with Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic after knocking off Viktoria Kuzmova 6-3 7-6(5).
Here are the rest of the WTA qualifiers at the Western and Southern Open.
On the men’s side 21-year-old JJ Wolf earned his main draw debut with a 2-6 6-2 6-4 victory over Spain’s Jaume Munar. Wolf, a Cincinnati native, might have preferred to gain safe passage to the main draw in his hometown, but 2020 being what it is, the choice was not his.
Wolf will face France’s Richard Gasquet in first-round action.
“It means the world to me, especially being the Cincinnati tournament, even if it’s not based in Cincinnati this year,” Wolf said after the match.
Americans went four for four on Friday with former Australian Open junior champion Sebastian Korda joining Wolf, along with Mackenzie McDonald and Marcos Giron.
Here are both draws, with qualifiers placed.