Srebotnik Leads Starless Field at WTA Hobart

Without a Top 25-ranked player in sight, this week's Moorilla Hobart International in Australia struggles with Slovenia's Karatina Srebotnik looking to do the heavy lifting as top seed.

Other seeded players are Czechs Klara "Kooky" Koukalova and Iveta Benesova, Israel's Anna Smashnova, Americans Amy "Joltin' Joe" Frazier and Jill Craybas, Argentine Mariana Diaz-Oliva, and Spaniard Nuria Llagostera "Pancho" Vives.

Wildcards for the event went to Aussies Casey Dellacqua and Nicole Pratt, while main draw quaifiers were Arantxa Parra Santonja (ESP), Christina Wheeler (AUS), Olga Poutchkova (RUS), and Anne "Kosmo" Kremer (LUX).

Main draw play began Sunday in Hobart, with winners (4) Amy Frazier (d. Dominguez Lino 6-0 in the third), (5) Iveta Benesova (d. Sanchez Lorenzo in three), (7) Nuria Llagostera Vives (d. Vesnina, bagel in the second), (8) Jill Craybas (d. (WC) Pratt), France's Stephanie Foretz (d. (6) Diaz-Oliva in three), and American Jamea Jackson (d. Pous Tio in three).

In last year's final, China's unseeded Zheng Jie routed No. 2 seed Gisela Dulko 6-2, 6-0.

Scheduled for Monday are Bremond vs. Wheeler, Kremer vs. Koukalova, Poutchkova vs. Santangelo, Srebotnik vs. Dellacqua, Krajicek vs. Ani, Parra Santonja vs. Brandi, Smashnova vs. Granville, Washington vs. Loit, Linetskaya vs. A.Bondarenko, and Sucha vs. Kostanic.