GUANGZHOU, China - After a month-long break the Road to Bali is set to roll again, with the China-GDD Guangzhou International Women's Open one of two International level events on the ticket this week. The $220,000 tournament also kickstarts the most cohesive, high-stakes Asian swing in the history of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, taking in Seoul, Tashkent and Tokyo before culminating in the $4,500,000 China Open in Beijing next month.
The top seed in southern China's biggest metropolis is Anabel Medina Garrigues. The Spaniard has enjoyed her best season to date, winning her ninth singles title on clay at Fès in April, and successfully defending the French Open doubles title she won with Virginia Ruano Pascual in 2008. Injuries have contributed to some disappointing results over the summer, but the 27-year-old was runner-up here to Anna Chakvetadze in 2006, and assuming she is fit will be a real contender this year. First, though, she'll have to get past Japanese veteran Kimiko Date Krumm.
Zheng Jie is the No.2 seed, and looking to improve on two semifinal showings in three previous visits, including last year when she fell to eventual champion Vera Zvonareva. Hovering just outside the Top 20, the Chinese star is coming off solid results in North America, including a quarterfinal run at Los Angeles and a third round finish at the US Open. It's been more than three years since she last one a title and will be hoping to use the conditions this week to her advantage.
Last year's runner-up, Peng Shuai, is the No.3 seed; the world No.44 (and Chinese No.3 after Li Na and Zheng) opens her campaign against American Angela Haynes. There will be much interest too in the fortunes of popular Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik, who is making a late start to her season after being kept out of action until the US Open by injuries.
Rounding out the seedings are Shahar Peer of Israel at No.5; Belarusian Olga Govortsova at No.6; Japanese teenager Ayumi Morita at No.7; and Italian veteran Alberta Brianti at No.8.
A wildcard has been awarded to two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Yan Zi, who was the singles champion at Guangzhou in 2005. The other wildcards have gone to 20-year-old Lu Jingjing and 19-year-old Han Xinyun. The field also features Chinese Taipei's best, namely Chan Yung-Jan, who opens against Mathilde Johansson of France, and Hsieh Su-Wei, who plays Yan in the first round.
Medina Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja are the top seeds in the doubles, with Chan and Srebotnik seeded No.2. Peng and Xu Yi-Fan are the No.3 seeds, with Akgul Amanmuradova and Morita seeded fourth.
