The country's top women's players Li Na and Zheng Jie will not
play in the China Open next month, the China Tennis Association
(CTA) said yesterday.
World No 21 Li and Zheng, a two-time Grand Slam-winning doubles
player, have been sidelined since late June with injuries which
continue to plague them.
"It is very bad news," CTA vice-president Gao Shenyang said.
"Their rehabilitation is slower than we expected, I am not sure
when they come back."
The 25-year-old Li, who suffered a recurrence of a muscle injury
around her ribs, was scheduled to return before the US Open but now
has to wait a couple of weeks, Gao said.
Despite the absence of local stars, China Open organizers say
they aren't worried about the tickets sales scheduled to begin this
weekend.
Marcos Baghdatis and Svetlana Kuznetsova have confirmed they
will defend their China Open titles at the Beijing Tennis Center
next month while Martina Hingis, Justine Henin, Fernando Gonzalez
and Ivan Ljubicic are also penciled in on the players list.
Joining them will be Elena Dementieva, Amelie Mauresmo, Mario
Ancic, Nikolay Davydenko and Tommy Robredo.
"I am confident of organizing a successful tournament this
year," tournament managing director Zhang Junhui said.
"The clear objectives of the China Open are to develop it into a
top tennis tournament and to ensure it is a great asset to our
preparations for the 2008 Olympic Games."
As the biggest tennis extravaganza ever held in Beijing, the
China Open has inspired tennis mania across the city since its
debut in 2004 when Russian Marat Safin and Serena Williams clinched
the titles.
"Their participation proves the status of China Open," Zhang
said. "I'm very pleased with the event over the past years. The
organizing work steps to a higher level as we are more experienced
than last year. I think we've done a very good job."
Organizers have released a wide range of ticket prices for
fans.
The tickets are divided into five categories ranging from 25
yuan (US$3) to 1,200 yuan (US$148), cheaper overall than last
year.
Also, the organizing committee has vowed not to issue any
complimentary tickets in order to leave the court open to real
fans.
"The people receiving complimentary tickets might not be
interested in tennis, so we have cancelled all the complimentary
tickets this year," Zhang said.
Organized by the State Administration of Sports and the Beijing
Municipal government, the tournament has attracted sponsorships
from Canon, Kappa and Mercedes-Benz.
The event also teamed up with China Central Television (CCTV)
and Sina.com. About 300 media from home and abroad have confirmed
their attendance.
(China Daily September 6, 2007)
