Kerber, Pliskova Lead 5 of Top 10 at WTA Premier Qatar Total Open in Doha

Only one WTA event next week as the Premier-level Qatar Total Open 2017 will feature half of the Top 10, including world No. 2 Angie Kerber and US Open runner-up Karolina Pliskova, as well as a former No. 1, an additional former No. 1 in the qualifying (Jelena Jankovic), and a former Slam winner going unseeded.
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Here’s a look at the field:

QATAR TOTAL OPEN 2017
Doha, Qatar; surface: hard

Seeds: Angelique Kerber, Karolina Pliskova, Dominika Cibulkova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Garbine Muguruza, Elena Vesnina, Timea Bacsinszky, Barbora Strycova

Floaters: Caroline Wozniacki, Sam Stosur, Irina-Camelia Begu, Daria Kasatkina, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Caroline Garcia

Notes: The Top 4 seeds receive opening-round byes, with challenging starts for (1) Kerber vs. the Begu-Kasatkina winner, (4) Radwanska after a bye vs. the former No. 1 Wozniacki, (8) Strycova vs. the former Slam champ Stosur 2nd rd., (3) Cibulkova after a bye vs. Pavlyuchenkova, and (2) Pliskova after a bye looking at an opener against the French riser Garcia (then the No. 5 seed Muguruza next round)…470 fat ranking points to the champion…Withdrawing from the event were Johanna Konta, former two-time runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova (abdominal injury) and last year’s champion Carla Suarez Navarro (right shoulder)…”I am sad to announce that I am not able to participate in the Qatar Total Open this year,” Kuzy said. “My doctors have advised me to rest so I can be prepared to get back on the court as soon as possible.”…Wildcards were awarded to Oman’s Fatma Al Nabhani and Turkey’s Cagla Buyukakcay…Suarez Navarro beat Jelena Ostapenko in last year’s final…No former champs are in the tournament that has been won by five former No. 1s dating to 2001…Kerber, Stosur and Wozniacki are former runner-ups at the event.