The WTA suffered an overnight embarrassment. Tennis players will suffer. There can only be one reason.

What's most frustrating is that there wasn't even a brief announcement explaining why the draw wasn't published, and the players haven't met their opponents. As a reminder, the tournament begins in just two days, but the players still don't know who they'll face in the first round. The WTA remains silent on the reason for this situation, which doesn't lend the organization any credibility in the eyes of fans. We can only guess at the reasons.

The tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati each last 12 days. Both feature players from the world's top ranks, though not all can expect to be seeded. This poses a problem. Players who reach the final in Montreal can count on a performance bye, a special seeding arrangement for lower-ranked players, which grants the Canadian finalists an additional two days to recover.

Victoria Mboko and Jelena Rybakina will play in one of the semifinals tomorrow. The other two semifinalists, Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, Madison Keys, and Clara Tauson, will be announced today. Of these, only Mboko and Osaka are currently not among the players who can count on a seed in Cincinnati. But if either of them reaches the final, a performance bye would be beneficial.

The situation is difficult and complex, especially for Mboko and Osaka, but other players are suffering because they are meeting their opponents so late. In fact, we still don't know when the draw will take place. And that's the problem, because the WTA could clear up any doubts and issue a brief statement clarifying the ambiguity and announcing a new draw date.

As of today, it's highly likely that the draw will take place either on Wednesday or... Thursday, the day the first round of the tournament in Cincinnati begins. The lack of transparency in the WTA's operations is further evidence that the organization is operating in the dark, without regard for the opinions of fans or even the tournament participants themselves. Its officials prefer to remain silent and wait to see how the situation develops. And the fact that fans and players wait is of little consequence to the organizers.

Importantly for Polish fans, the draw issue won't directly affect the Polish players. Iga Świątek, Magdalena Fręch, and Magda Linette are seeded and won't start until the second round. Players who are scheduled to play in the first round will suffer, but won't have time to prepare for their opponent's style of play. However, the situation could be resolved now by handing Osaka and Mboko bye-lanes, which they deserve after their long runs in Canada.

The WTA Top 1000 tournament in Cincinnati will begin on the evening of August 7th. It's possible the bracket will be announced the same day, depending on which players reach the final of the ongoing tournament in Montreal.

At this point, only one thing is certain: the women's tennis authorities have set another example of their incompetence.