By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The return of women's professional tennis to Cincinnati became official Wednesday when the Women's Tennis Association released its 2004 schedule. Though it will take place during the Olympics, the event still could include some top-20 players - and possibly Anna Kournikova, too.

The Internet icon is represented by Octagon management group, which is working out ownership details of this event with Tennis for Charity, Inc., which operates the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters men's tournament here. Kournikova is unlikely to be an Olympian, so she could please her agency by playing in its event.

"Sure, there's a chance of that," said Bruce Flory, Western & Southern Masters director. "And there's some good American players that won't go to the Olympics. With it being the peak of the summer season, it bodes well for the field."

The Cincinnati tournament will be Aug. 16-22, 2004, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason. The tentative 2004 Western & Southern dates are Aug. 2-8.

The Cincinnati women's event is classified as Tier III, which typically has a 30-person draw and features about three top-20 players. It also has a minimum of $170,000 in prize money, though draw size and prize money have not been worked out.

The 2004 Olympics will allow four singles players per country and one doubles team. The doubles team is to be made up of singles players, unless the country enters a duo ranked among the top 10 doubles teams in the world.

Serena and Venus Williams are likely to fill two singles spots. Current rankings would put Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati in the other two spots. The Williamses could play doubles to defend their 2000 Olympic doubles title.

That would leave U.S. players like No. 8-ranked Chanda Rubin, No. 18 Meghann Shaughnessy, No. 24 Monica Seles, No. 26 Lisa Raymond and No. 28 Alexandra Stevenson free to come to Cincinnati.

Kournikova, at No. 76, is nowhere near the top four Russians, and hasn't been playing Federation Cup tennis for her country. Another player unlikely to be in the Olympics is No. 12 Jelena Dokic, who has shuttled between Australia and Yugoslavia.

E-mail nschmidt@enquirer.com