REACHING FOR THE STARS

There was a time when even China's two-time Grand Slam champion Li Na could not imagine her hometown of Wuhan annually hosting the cream of the women's global tennis crop.

But when the WTA Premier 5 Wuhan Open debuted five years ago, it turned doubters into believers.

Ranked just below Grand Slams and Premier mandatory tournaments in terms of importance, the Wuhan Open today boasts a total prize pool of $2.7 million plus 900 ranking points for the singles winner. Since 2014, the September tournament has attracted the WTA's top players to compete at the 15,000-seat Optics Valley International Tennis Center.

This year, 18 of the world's top 20 players were involved in the singles main draw, including three of the year's four Grand Slam champions: Romanian world No 1 Simona Halep, who captured her first major at the French Open in June; Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark; and Germany's Angelique Kerber, who won at Wimbledon in July.

Although none of the three made the final, their presence in Wuhan underlined the growing prestige of what has been dubbed "Asia's Grand Slam."

"It was a great challenge to create a Premier 5 event from nothing," said tournament co-director Fabrice Chouquet, who has been involved with the event from its inception.

"When I came here for the first time, it was not a tennis center but a field. I was told that this will be the tennis center," recalled the Frenchman.

"We worked a lot on the construction of the venue and created a local team to pass along our experience. We are so proud that we achieved so much in such a short period of time. Starting from nothing to create a tournament that is really one of the biggest events on the WTA tour is very gratifying."

The Wuhan Open has earned a reputation for great organization and a fan-friendly environment, leading many of the game's biggest names to consider it a "home away from home." That includes China's world No 34 Wang Qiang, who defeated Maria Sakkari, eighth seed Karolina Pliskova, Daria Gavrilova and Puerto Rico's Monica Puig to advance to this year's semifinal - the deepest run ever by a Chinese player at the tournament.

To allow more fans the opportunity to watch their homegrown hero in action, tournament organizers arranged for Wang to play all her matches on center court.

"I always felt that coming to Wuhan is like coming back home because I used to play lots of junior events in the city when I was a little girl," said Wang.

"In a way, I grew up here so I come back to the Wuhan Open every year. I hope I can have more great performances for the fans in the future."

Delivering the best experience for both players and fans remains a daunting task for the organizers.

"There is huge pressure to provide the best services and obviously the best hospitality so the athletes can play under the best conditions," said Chouquet. "We want to make the Wuhan Open a premier event that sets a standard of excellence."

And it's not just China's stars who feel connected to Wuhan.

"Petra Kvitova loves the city the most," said Chouquet. "She loves the tournament and she loves the city. Every time she visits, she explores the city. I know that Wuhan has a special place in her heart."

(China Daily 09/29/2018 page10)