Halep is trying to stay atop the WTA rankings this week, and Ostapenko is coming off an exhibition win over Serena Williams…Interesting starts include (5) Wang vs. the upset specialist Riske (winner to meet Sharapova), and (2) Ostapenko vs. the lesser Pliskova, winner to meet the scrappy Giorgi…

No Top 10ers in the post-US Open field…Tough start for (7) Riske vs. American countrywoman Brengle…Wildcards were awarded to Japanese legend Kimiko Date, and seeds Mladenovic and Pliskova…

Last year’s final was all Kiki Berten as the Dutchwoman qualified then won the singles, defeating Colombia’s Mariana Duque-Marino in the final, then won the doubles…

Pliskova the lone Top 10 player, but the former No. 1 Wozniacki and the former Slam winner Stosur also among the seeds…Interesting starts for (1) Pliskova vs. the tenacious Giorgi, and (3) Strycova vs. the somewhat-resurgent Goerges…

Tough starts for (9) Gavrilova vs. Errani, (6) Sam Stosur vs. Jankovic in a battle of former champs, and (16) Siniakova vs. Puig…

The world No. 1 Kerber is the only Top 10er in the field, but throw in former No. 1s Williams, Wozniacki and Jankovic, and the Slam winner Stosur to give it some meat…

Five of the Top 10, including US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova, and a slew of dangerous floaters make Tokyo the place to watch this week…The Top 4 seeds receive opening-round byes…Tough starts for Muguruza after a bye, coming out cold possibly against the US Open quarterfinalist Sevastova; (8) Pavlyuchenkova vs. the veteran Petkovic (winner to possibly meet the giant-serving Vandeweghe); (6) Cibulkova vs. Safarova; and (4) Suarez Navarro cold after a bye meeting the winner of Bencic-Wozniacki…

The No. 2-seeded Beck starts against the upset specialist Mattek-Sands…Wildcards were awarded to Canucks Francoise Abanda, Aleksandra Wozniak and Carol Zhao…The last three seeds are ranked outside the WTA Top 90…

Venus Williams went out of the singles on Day 1 at the Olympics.

Roger Federer and Serena Williams open things up at the French Open Sunday.

Notes: Serena is shooting for her third Charleston title in a row…Surprising lack of floaters…(10) Maria Kirilenko vs. (Q) Bencic could be interesting…Wildcards went to Melanie Oudin, Nadia Petrova, and Shelby Rogers…Qualifying to the main draw were Swiss Belinda Bencic. Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens, Aussie Jarmila Gajdoeova, Russian Alla Kudryavtseva, Portugal’s Michelle Larcher de Brito, American Grace Min, the Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko, and China’s Zheng Saisai…Notable pulls from the event were Alize Cornet, Casey Dellacqua, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands…Former champs in the field are Serena Williams (2013,’12,’08), Stosur (2010), Jankovic (2007), Nadia Petrova (2006), and Venus Williams (2004).

In the unlikely Guangzhou Open final in China, Chinese wildcard Zhang Shuai defeated American qualifier Vania King 7-6(1), 6-1 for her first career title.