U.S. Open Tournament Dir Stacey Allaster said that she "feels confident in their current plan" for the Western & Southern Open this weekend, according to D'Arcy Maine of ESPN.com. With several of the events of the U.S. Open hard-court series leading into the major canceled, the Western & Southern Open, traditionally played in Cincinnati, "opens this weekend at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens." Players will be able to "remain in a 'bubble' and stay in the same official hotel for both events." Players "will be limited to a support team of three, and all those on site will be tested regularly throughout the duration and will be quarantined if they test positive for the virus." There will be "no fans allowed at either tournament." Players' response to the plan "has been mixed." Serena Williams announced her intention to play in the tournament, and Novak Djokovic is "already on site." But several other big names "will not be in attendance." Allaster is the "first to say the event will be called off it ever seems unsafe for the players or staff, but as the start date looms near, it seems less likely this will be the case." Allaster: "If at any time we don't feel that level of confidence that we have today, then we'll make a very easy call" (ESPN.com, 8/20).
