Are more surprising WTA results in store for Cincinnati?

Few–if anyone–could have predicted that the National Bank Open final in Montreal would be Jessica Pegula vs. Liudmila Samsonova.

Samsonova’s final appearance was, of course, much more surprising than that of Pegula. But even the world No. 3’s triumph at last week’s WTA Premier 1000 event was unexpected, especially considering that she had to get past top seed Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. Pegula not only did that but also defeated doubles partner and recent Washington, D.C. champion Coco Gauff in the quarters. As for Samsonova, she ousted both Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina before running out of gas in the final–her second match of the day after upsetting Rybakina in three sets earlier on Sunday.

Are more surprising results in the cards for this week’s Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati? Swiatek is obviously the favorite, but here are three other players to watch.

Aryna Sabalenka

In general for Cincinnati you have to like the chances of players who did not go particularly far in Canada. After all, making two deep runs at Premier 1000 tournaments with the U.S. Open on the immediate horizon probably isn’t ideal. You need to have something left in the tank for New York! Sabalenka lost in the Montreal third round, but at the same time it wasn’t a terrible result (three-set loss to Samsonova) given that Samsonova went on to reach the final. The world No. 2 is a two-time semifinalist in Cincinnati and also a two-time semifinalist at the U.S. Open. Conditions are great for her this time of year, so she could go all the way in Cincy.

Coco Gauff

Gauff won the D.C. title two weeks ago, but she should be at least somewhat well rested after falling to Pegula in the Montreal quarterfinals. The 19-year-old American is still playing great, so she has to be considered a realistic contender in Cincinnati. Gauff’s draw is relatively favorable, too, as she would not have to face Swiatek until the semis and Sabalenka until the final.

Madison Keys

As usual, Keys is a high-risk/high-reward pick–especially this week given that she withdrew from Montreal due to a hip injury. If that was just precautionary and she is back to 100 percent, the 28-year-old can contend this week. In her last five Cincinnati appearances she has one title, one semifinal, and one quarterfinal. Conditions are perfect for Keys’ big-hitting game.