From baggage issues to a rough Cincinnati draw as Venus WIlliams set foe Kudermetova clash

Venus Williams will face a tough challenge at the Cincinnati Open due to a difficult draw in the main draw.

After her first-round loss at the National Bank Open Toronto, the American tennis legend will be participating in the WTA 1000 Western & Southern Open Cincinnati thanks to a wild card from the organization.

Since her return for the grass season, the 43-year-old Williams has a record of 1-4, but she has shown that she still has the level to compete with several of the world's top players. She defeated Camila Giorgi in the Birmingham Open, and despite the losses, she has played well against players like Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko.

The 7-time Grand Slam champion has not been fortunate with draws, and once again, she will face a tough start to the tournament against the 16th seed Veronika Kudermetova, a 26-year-old Russian player.

Kudermetova has been hovering around the top 10 for nearly a year, reaching her best ranking of world No. 9. She hasn't competed since Wimbledon, where she fell to the eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova. On hardcourts this year, she holds a record of 11-8.

The winner of the match between Venus and Kudermetova could potentially face the rising Chinese sensation Qinwen Zheng, who will debut against a qualifier. Furthermore, a potential third-round match could bring a showdown against the world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

The American will play her second tournament of the US Open Series on Monday, August 13th, on Center Court. This will be her 10th singles appearance in Cincinnati. Her best result in this tournament was in 2012 when she reached the semifinals but fell to the eventual champion Li Na in a close match with a score of 7-5, 3-6, 6-1.

Cincinnati will be the last tournament of Williams before here appearance in the US Open, where she also had a wild card.