7-23-2025 9:37pm

VENUS WILLIAMS, CATY MCNALLY AWARDED CINCINNATI OPEN WILD CARDS

Beth Callahan Editor

MASON, OH -- Venus Williams and Caty McNally are the first wild card recipients for the Cincinnati Open, which will be held at the transformed Lindner Family Tennis Center Aug. 5-18.

Williams returned to tour action this week in Washington, D.C., and at the age of 45, became the oldest player to win a WTA match since 2004 when 47-year-old Martina Navratilova won at Wimbledon. Tuesday’s match was her first since Miami in March 2024 and was her first victory since the 2023 Cincinnati Open.

In her career, Williams has won 49 singles titles, including seven at Grand Slam tournaments and the gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. She spent 11 weeks as the WTA’s No. 1 ranked player. In her career, Williams has also won 22 doubles titles, including 14 at Grand Slams and is a three-time Olympic doubles gold medalist, all with her younger sister, Serena.

This will be the 11th appearance by Williams at the Cincinnati Open. She owns a 12-9 record at the tournament, having reached the semifinals in 2012 and quarterfinals in 2019.

A 23-year-old Cincinnati native, McNally has returned to full-time play this season after undergoing an operation on her elbow in early 2024. Since returning to play last November, she has claimed two titles, including at the WTA 125 in Newport, R.I., earlier this month, reached one other final and four semifinals. At Wimbledon, McNally was the only player to win a set off eventual champion Iga Swiatek.

McNally owns five career singles titles at ITF Tour events and has won eight WTA doubles titles. She has twice been a doubles finalist at the US Open.

This will be McNally’s fifth appearance at her hometown tournament, and first since 2022.

The women’s field for the Cincinnati Open is headlined by its past two winners and the top-ranked players in the world, defending champion and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and second-ranked Coco Gauff, the 2023 Cincinnati victor.

The 2025 Cincinnati Open will take place on a transformed campus following a $260 million investment with the City of Mason, Warren County and the State of Ohio. The project brings the total number of outdoor courts at the venue to 31 while also adding a six-court indoor facility, pickleball and padel courts, new locker room facilities for professional and recreational player use, and a Clubhouse that will be utilized year-round with restaurant and function room space, and many new, elevated fan amenities.

The Cincinnati Open annually hosts the world’s best men’s and women’s professional tennis players as a 1000-level tournament on both the ATP and WTA Tours. The event is proudly supported by its cornerstone partners: Western & Southern Financial Group, Credit One Bank, Procter & Gamble, Great American Insurance Group, Fifth Third and Kroger.

Tickets are on sale now at cincinnatiopen.com.