Henin Pulls from Sydney; WTA Previews
Medibank International Sydney
SYDNEY, Australia
$600,000
Surface: Hard
Seeds: Serena Williams, Dinara Safina, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Caroline Wozniacki, Elena Dementieva, Victoria Azarenka, Jelena Jankovic, Vera Zvonareva
Floaters: Sam Stosur, Flavia Pennetta, Sabine Lisicki, Nadia Petrova, Alisa Kleybanova, Francesca Schiavone, Daniela Hantuchova, Aggie Radwanska
Notes: (WC) Justine Henin pulls with a leg injury; tough openers include Stosur vs. Pennetta, winner to likely face (4) Wozniacki, (6) Azarenka vs. Lisicki (winner to likely face Petrova), (3) Kuzy vs. Kleybanova in all-Russian, (5) Dementieva vs. Schiavone in all-veteran, (2) Safina after bye to likely face Radwanska; Dementieva won last year (d. Safina) for her second title in two weeks to begin the season; Serena vs. Wozniacki or Jankovic in semifinals; Safina vs. Dementieva in all-Russian QF?
Moorilla Hobart International
HOBART, Australia
$220,000
Surface: Hard
Seeds: Anabel Medina Garrigues, Shahar Peer, Kateryna Bondarenko, Alona Bondarenko, Carla Suarez Navarro, Aleksandra Wozniak, Jie Zheng, Gisela Dulko
Floaters: Iveta Benesova, Shuai Peng, Melanie Oudin, Lucie Safarova, (WC) Alicia Molik, Sania Mirza, Jelena Dokic
Notes: No Top 25 players but some excitement with former top players looking for comebacks Molik and Dokic; tough openers are (1) Medina Garrigues vs. last year’s runner-up Benesova, and (3) K.Bondarenko vs. Safarova; (2) Peer vs. Dokic second round; American sweetheart Oudin opens against Italian Sara Errani; last year Czech teen Petra Kvitova broke through for her first tour title; Jie Zheng (2005) and Molik (2003) former champs in the field.
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