As the WTA bids farewell to the retired Li Na, the tour welcomes its latest addition to the calendar – a tournament in the Chinese megastar’s hometown of Wuhan, where Serena Williams headlines a stellar field that features 19 of the world’s top-20.
The tournament is a $2.4 million (Dh8.8m) WTA Premier 5 event and kicks off its main draw action today with some thrilling match-ups featuring the likes of Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Andrea Petkovic.
The top eight seeds led by Serena, Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova and Maria Sharapova all have byes in the opening round.
“In 2008, there were two professional women’s tennis tournaments in China. Today, there are 10, one of them in Wuhan, my hometown. That to me is extraordinary!
“Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams – with thirty Grand Slam singles titles among them – are coming to my hometown to play tennis for the fans of China,” Li Na said in her retirement letter on Facebook.
“Just as I didn’t think I could ever be a Grand Slam champion, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that some of the best female athletes in the world could play tennis in Wuhan, in my backyard.”
While the timing of Li Na’s retirement has come just two days prior to the start of the Wuhan tournament, fans can find solace in the interesting match-ups that could result from an interesting draw.
A US Open final rematch could be in the cards as Serena and Caroline Wozniacki have been placed in the same half of the draw but the Dane must first get past Sharapova, who is also a potential semi-final opponent for the world No1.
Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard will be making her first appearance since her US Open fourth round exit and has landed in the same quarter of the draw as Serena.
The other half pits French Open finalist Halep against seventh-seeded Angelique Kerber in the same quarter, while Agnieszka Radwanska and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova share the fourth quarter.
