Serena Williams heads provisional entry list at U.S. Open

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Three-time U.S. Open champion Serena Williams and four other past winners head the provisional women's field for the year's last Grand Slam tournament.

Ninety-nine of the top 100 women in this week's WTA rankings were granted direct entry Wednesday into the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 30. The one missing is No. 12 Justine Henin, a two-time Open champion, who withdrew after injuring her right elbow at Wimbledon.

Williams is recovering from deep cuts to her right foot and pulled out of three upcoming hard-court tuneups for the Open. Her status for the Open is not known.

The other Open champions on Wednesday's entry list are Williams' older sister Venus, 2009 winner Kim Clijsters, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova.