Sharapova, Williams confirmed for Beijing
By Yang Xinwei (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-07-08 06:36

Wimbledon's dynamic duo are coming to Beijing.

Champion Maria Sharapova of Russia and Serena Williams of the US have committed to play in the China Open, September 10-26 at the new Beijing Tennis Centre.

Pin-up girl Sharapova defeated top seed Williams in the Wimbledon final last week. The victory moved the Russian from world No 15 to No 8 while Serena dropped from No 10 to No 14.

The press conference in Beijing.[Xinhua]

The two will join an already star-studded men's draw which includes such big names as world No 4 Juan Carlos Ferrero and world No 7 Carlos Moya of Spain, world No 6 David Nalbandian of Argentina, Germany's Rainer Schuettler and crowd favourite Marat Safin of Russia.

The men's draw also includes Rafael Nadal of Spain, Taylor Dent and Mardy Fish of the US.

Aiming to make the China Open the sport's fifth Grand Slam event after Wimbledon and the Australian, French and US Opens, the organizers are endeavoring to invite the cream of the world's tennis crop. And signing with the WTA is definitely a major step forward for the Beijing tournament.

Earlier, Shanghai won the rights to host the ATP Masters Cup for three years starting next year.

The two events will surely spark an interest in tennis to rival the country's obsession with football and basketball.

Shanghai beat out three rivals including Beijing to host the Masters Cup from 2005-2007.

Joining Sharapova and Williams in the women's draw will be Jelena Dokic of Serbia and Montenegro, five-time WTA Tour winner and ranked world No 4, and local star Zheng Jie, who became the first Chinese to reach the fourth round of the French Open in May.

Thirteenth seed Maria Sharapova (L) of Russia stands with Serena Williams of the US as they hold their respective trophies after their women's final match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 3, 2004. [Reuters]

Zheng's French Open feat has earned her China's only singles ticket to the Athens Olympic Games.

Sun Kanglin, director of the Beijing Sports Bureau, said the capital city needs such elite tennis tournaments to better prepare for the 2008 Olympic Games. "The China Open will act as a calling card for Beijing and will surely bring lots of benefits for the city," Sun added.

The event is co-organized by the China State General Administration for Sports and the Beijing Municipal Government.

The tournament will have 150 hours of TV coverage and over 600,000 fans are expected to watch the 17 days of action.

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