Defending champion Bianca Andreescu on initial entry list for US Open

NEW YORK — Canada’s Bianca Andreescu is one of the headliners on the initial women’s singles entry list for the upcoming US Open. 

The 2019 champion, currently ranked sixth in the world, is one of 13 Grand Slam singles champs on the list.

A noticeable omission is top-ranked Ash Barty of Australia, who recently announced that she would not be playing due to concerns about travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joining Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., on the initial list were second-ranked Simona Halep of Romania, six-time champion Serena Williams, and fellow American Sofia Kenin, the reigning Australian Open champion.

Montreal teenager Leylah Fernandez, the world No. 118, is the only other Canadian on the women’s list.

This week’s edition of the WTA rankings was used to determine the main draw entry list for the Aug. 31-Sept. 13 tournament. Seeds will be announced closer to the start of the event, organizers said in a release.

The men’s list, also released Tuesday, is headlined by top-ranked Novak Djokovic of Serbia. Reigning champ Rafael Nadal of Spain announced he will skip the event because of the pandemic.

Canadians on the men’s list include world No. 16 Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime (No. 20), Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., (No. 30) and Vancouver’s Vasek Pospisil (No. 93).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2020.

The Canadian Press