LOS ANGELES: Serena Williams will make her return to the WTA tour at a new hardcourt tournament in Kentucky in August, organisers said on Thursday.

The Top Seed Open said Serena, the 23-time Grand Slam champion, and 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens will be in the field when play begins on Aug 10.

Serena hasn’t played since representing the US in the Fed Cup in February, before the WTA tour along with most of global sport shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Both the WTA tour and the men’s ATP tour are scheduled to resume in August.

Serena has already said she plans to enter the next scheduled Grand Slam tournament, the US Open, which is slated to begin in New York on Aug 31.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2020