Serena, Kuznetsova, Sharapova among top names in China Open
(chinaopen.cn)
Updated: 2004-09-21 14:13

Five of world's top 15 players have made their way to compete this week's $585,000 China Open, a Tier II event on the WTA Tour.

Serena Williams makes her first WTA Tour appearance in China this week as the top seed in Beijing and playing for the first time since the US Open. Williams lost a controversial three-set match with Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals at the US Open and comes to China seeking her second title of the year. Williams hasn't won a title since her first event of the year in Miami.

Serena will receive a bye in the first round and will face either Russia's Dinara Safina or Chinese wildcard Zi Yan in the second round.

US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova didn't have much time to relish her Grand Slam victory as she quickly left New York for Bali where she won her second straight title on Sunday by defeating Marlene Weingartner in the final. And the 19-year-old Russian isn't taking this week off either as she hopes to continue her recent success with a jaunt to Beijing.

Now, Kuznetsova will put her nine-match winning streak on the line as she plays for a fourth straight week and will take on either Australia's Nicole Pratt or a qualifier in her second round match after a first round bye.

Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova will also be in Beijing and hoping to duplicate the post-US Open success she demonstrated last year. Sharapova won her first two WTA Tour titles at the Japan Open and in Quebec City during the final months of the 2003 season. She comes to Asia after a disappointing third round loss to Mary Pierce at the US Open.

Since winning Wimbledon back in July, Sharapova's record is just 5-4 and the teenage Grand Slam winner hasn't had too many easy matches. Her last five matches have all gone to three sets. Sharapova will look to get back on the winning track when she faces either Tatiana Panova or Tina Pisnik in the second round.

Fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva has had an impressive hard court swing where she reached the finals in Cincinnati, semifinals in Montreal and San Diego and quarterfinals in Los Angeles. She also reached the fourth round at the US Open before losing a heartbreaking three-set match with eventual runner-up Elena Dementieva. Now, Zvonareva hopes to continue that success with her second title of the year in Beijing.

Zvonareva will receive a first round bye and face either Kristina Brandi or a qualifier in the second round.

The fourth highly-ranked Russian that will be contending for a title in China this week is Nadia Petrova, who reached the semifinals last week in Bali before losing to eventual champion Kuznetsova. Petrova, who is still looking for her first career title, will face China's Jie Zheng in the first round.

Prior to 2004, this event was held in Shanghai from 2000 to 2003. Last year, Elena Dementieva won the Shanghai title, defeating Chanda Rubin in the final. Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi won the 2002 event when she defeated Anna Kournikova in straight sets, while Monica Seles won in 2001 by defeating Nicole Pratt in the championship match. American Meghann Shaughnessy won the inaugural title back in 2000 with her win against Iroda Tulyagonova.