WTA Toronto Preview: Sharapova Pulls, Henin Returns

"I have to take care of my body for the US Open," said the 18-year-old who will take over the No. 1 ranking next week regardless of her results. "It's a grand slam and that's where you always want to be ready."

Last week seven of the Top 11 players were sidelined with injuries or illnesses, yet that was not enough to ring the alarm bells for WTA Tour CEO Larry Scott.

"Injuries are a part of every sport," Scott told Reuters. "It is a bit of a flukish that so many players are injured at the same time and I don't expect this to happen next summer. Having said that, we want to do everything possible to keep the players as healthy and playing as much as possible."

The No. 3 seed Kuznetsova was moved to the top of the draw replacing Sharapova, and Ai Sugiyama was added as the No. 17 seed.

Other seeds in the Top 8 are Amelie Mauresmo making her first appearance on tour since the second week of July, Justine Henin-Hardenne returning from a hamstring injury, Serena Williams returning from an ankle injury, Russian Nadia Petrova, last week's L.A. winner Kim Clijsters, and Mary Pierce who is returning from a thigh injury.

ESPN commentator Mary Joe Fernandez says don't believe the spin -- the modern game has become too demanding and the players are asked to play too many tournaments to keep up their ranking.

"We need to cut the season back and players need to know their bodies better, when to play and when to not to," Fernandez said. "When Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and I used to play, we had a (ranking) divisor of 12 tournaments. Now you have to play 18 to stay ahead. That's' too much."

Early-round match-ups of note in Toronto are (16) Tatiana Golovin vs. Karolina "The Spreminator" Sprem, (10) Nathalie Dechy vs. the winner of Nicole Vaidisova-Anna Chakvetadze in the second round, (6) Petrova vs. Sesil "The Mouth" Karatantcheva in the second round, and (15) Dinara Safina vs. former No. 2 Conchita Martinez in the second round.

Potential quarterfinal meetings include (3) Kuznetsova vs. (9) Myskina, (5) Serena vs. (7) Clijsters, (4) Henin-Hardenne vs. (8) Pierce, and (2) Mauresmo vs. (6) Petrova.

In last year's final the No. 2-seeded Mauresmo demolished unseeded Russian Elena Likhovtseva 6-1, 6-0.

Former champs in this year's field are Mauresmo (2004,'02), Henin-Hardenne (2003), and Serena Williams (2001).