Zvonareva heads field at injury-hit San Diego
Date published :
31 Jul 2011 - 22:00:03
Two-time grand slam finalist Vera Zvonareva heads the field as women continue the buildup to the start of the US Open at the WTA San Diego Open beginning Monday.
The Russian who finished runner-up in 2010 at Wimbledon and New York will pick up the slack after injury pullouts from holder Svetlana Kuznetsova and world number two Kim Clijsters.
The Californian event is also missing Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova, who picked up an abdominal strain on her way to the title at the All England club.
Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova, the sixth seed, says she'll try to compete even after pulling out of her scheduled semi-final at Stanford with an abdominal strain.
Zvonareva is well accustomed to hardcourts, having won her last seven titles on the surface, including the new WTA tournament in Baku, Azerbajian this month.
"Women's tennis is at a very high level right now," the Russian number one said in victory. "If I don't have my full concentration and give my best then there is no chance to win a match."
The world number three, who enjoys a bye into the second round along with the other seven leading seeds at the La Costa resort, has a modest record coming into her fifth appearance here. She played a semi-final five years ago while going out last year in the second round.
The top seed will await an opening opponent from two qualifiers.
Germany's new wave of women dominate the seedings, with Andrea Petkovic taking the second placing, Julia Goerges seventh and Wimbledon semi-finalist Sabine Lisicki 12th.
All three are making debuts at the country club venue.
Petkovic will be playing for the first time since she fell in the third round at Wimbledon, Goerges started on the hardcourts this week in Stanford along with Lisicki, who was in the final four.
Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska is seeded third ahead of China's Peng Shuai with former Roland Garros winner Ana Ivanovic fifth.
Ivanovic will open with a potential clash against Jelena Dokic should the Australian get past Japan's Ayumi Morita in the first round.
Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova rounds out the top eight seeds.
Also playing are Japan's 40-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm, India's Sania Mirza, and Chinese players Zheng Jie and Zhang Sahai.
