Hingis, Sania top seeded for Kolkata Open tennis

Former world No. 1 Martina Hingis and current No. 54 Sania Mirza will be the star attraction at the $175,000 Sunfeast Open tennis tournament starting here Sep 18, it was announced here Thursday.

A Tier III tournament, Sunfeast Open will have as many as nine of the top 100 ranked players of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), the organisers said here.

Besides Switzerland's Hingis, who has been top seeded for the tournament, Croatian Karolina Sprem, runner-up in the first edition of the event in 2005, Yuliana Fedak from Ukraine and Hungarian Melinda Czink are the other well-known names that will compete at the Netaji Indoor Stadium Sep 18-24.

Some of the other better known players taking part are Galina Voskoboeva of Russia, Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai and Yulia Beygelzimer of Ukraine.

"In its second edition itself the Sunfeast Open has grown in stature and this year too we have an array of top players who will provide some scintillating action on the courts," said Mahesh Bhupathi, whose company Globosport India is organising the tournament.

Bhupathi, who is Golobosport's managing director, said each of the promising youngster is capable of winning their first WTA title, adding excitement to the challenge.

"The leading players have beaten the best in the field and this fact holds promise for some dazzling display for tennis lovers of our country. I am pleased to say that the Sunfeast Open has lived up to its objective of attracting the finest talent and providing Indian fans a chance to watch great tennis."

Apart from three wild cards that will be announced soon, four players will make it from the qualifying round to be held Sep 16 and 17.

Seedings: 1 Martina Hingis (Switzerland), 2. Sania Mirza (India), 3. Karolina Sprem (Croatia), 4. Yuliana Fedak (Ukraine), 5. Melinda Czink (Hungary), 6. Galina Voskoboeva (Russia), 7. Kaia Kanepi (Estonia), 8. Aravane Rezai (France), 9. Yulia Beygelzimer (Ukraine), 10. Hana Sromova (Czechoslovakia), 11. Anastassia Rodionova (Russia), 12. Nicole Pratt (Australia), 13. Olga Poutchkova (Russia), 14. Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand), 15. Angelique Widjaja (Indonesia), 16. Antonella Serra Zanetti (Italy), 17. Sandra Kloesel (Germany), 18. Lioudmila Skavronskaia (Russia), 19. Tatiana Poutchek (Belarus), 20. Yung-jan Chan (Taipei), 21. Anda Perianu (Romania), 22. Tzipora Obziler (Israel), 23. Arantxa Parra Santonja (Spain) and 24. Anne Keothavong (Britain).