Hotshots gather for China Open
Marcos Baghdatis and Svetlana Kuznetsova are set to defend their China Open titles at the Beijing Tennis Center next month, organizers have confirmed.
Since the Open won the rights to host a nine-day Women's Tennis Association (WTA) event in 2009 - which will become Beijing's biggest tennis event - earlier this year, some big names have thrown their hat in the ring for this year's tournament.
Martina Hingis, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Fernando Gonzalez and Ivan Ljubicic are among the top billings at the tournament which begins on Saturday, September 8.
Joining them are Elena Dementieva, Amelie Mauresmo, Mario Ancic, Nikolay Davydenko and Tommy Robredo.
Peng Shuai, Li Na and Australian and Wimbledon Open double's title winners Zheng Jie and Yan Zi will give crowds even more to cheer about.
"The preparatory job is fabulous here in Beijing," WTA Chief Operating Officer David Shoemaker said during a press conference in which the China Open signed a partnership agreement with CITIC Bank.
Beijing outbid Dubai, Tokyo and Bangkok to become one of just four cities to host elite events on the top-level WTA calendar in two years' time.
Other mandatory women's stops will be in Madrid, Miami and Indian Wells, California, that year.
A streamlined WTA calendar will include stops in Tokyo, Sydney, Doha and Dubai after the WTA establish an office in Beijing in 2008 to guide marketing and promotions.
The WTA and Beijing will also explore linking the ATP Shanghai Masters Series to create a combined ATP-WTA event that would rotate annually between China's two biggest cities.
Prize money for both men and women will jump 30 percent to $7.2 million, with a minimum of $4 million at each of the elite four events.
Last month the capital announced a 500 million yuan ($62.5 million) post-Olympic budget to host international sports tournaments, with the WTA event top of the list.
Off the court, WTA teamed up with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) last year to help raise the status of women.
Tennis boss David Shoemaker said he hoped the China Open would spur social change among women in China.
"The fact our top players play here sends a very strong and powerful signal about the progressiveness of some of those places that I think is inspiring social change," Shoemaker said.
The past three Opens have attracted top players, including Marat Safin, Nicolay Davydenko and Lindsay Davenport, but adding to the excitement for Chinese fans this year is the scintillating form of the country's women's players.
(China Daily 08/16/2007 page22)
