World's top 10 to compete in WTA Wuhan Open

Wuhan  :   All the top 10 singles players of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings will compete at the Wuhan Open, which runs from September 21 till 29, the organisers of the WTA Premier 5 event announced here on Wednesday.

Since joining the WTA Tour in 2014, Wuhan has established itself as the heart of tennis's Asian Swing and 2018 could prove to be the tournament's strongest year yet. In total, 19 of the world's Top 20 and 45 of the world's Top 50 players have entered this year's $2.75 million event.

Among the stars are reigning Australian Open, French and Wimbledon champions Caroline Wozniacki, Simone Halep and Angelique Kerber, reports Xinhua news agency.

They will also be joined by two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza, two-time Wimbledon and two-time Wuhan Open champion Petra Kvitova and the reigning Wuhan Open champion Caroline Garcia.

"We're very proud to provide such an important showcase for the world's very best players and believe that the calibre of players we attract is testament to how much the tournament has grown and flourished in the last five years," said Wuhan Open Co-Tournament Director Fabrice Chouquet.

"Chinese fans are falling in love with tennis, thanks to events like ours and the incredible players who come to compete in Wuhan," he added.

Retired tennis superstar Li Na is the global ambassador for the Wuhan Open held in her home city. Li has helped to put Chinese tennis on the global map with her victories at the French and Australian Opens.