World number four Serena Williams will look to continue her winning streak since her suprising first round loss at the 2012 Roland Garros at the Cincinnati Open 2012 which begins this week. After winning her first singles gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Williams skipped the Rogers Cup tournament despite being the tournament’s defending champion. Despite her absence in Montreal, Williams is expected to do well at this premier-level hardcourt tournament. Prior to the London Olympics, Williams successfully defending one hardcourt event – the Bank of the West Classic to take an early lead at the US Open Series 2012 rankings. A title win here will once again place her atop the standings – she’s now in third place.
Williams has just completed a Career Golden Slam on last week after crushing Maria Sharapova in the ladies’ singles gold final. She went on to win her third gold medal in doubles with sister venus to be the only player – male or female – to complete a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.
The top seed of the Cincinnati Open 2012 is Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland after top-ranked Victoria Azarenka and second-ranked Maria Sharapova pulled out of the tournament due to injury. A deep run in this event could propel the Polish star to the top of the world’s rankings by next week. Sharapova will lose ranking points as she’s the defending champion of this event.
