The OEC Taipei Ladies Open begins in earnest on Monday — following the two-day qualifying tournament that starts today — with home hopes in the singles resting largely on the shoulders of Chang Kai-chen.
Chang will be the highest-ranked Taiwanese player in action at the Taipei Arena following the withdrawal of defending champion Chan Yung-jan and she comes into the tournament on the back of a good run at the WTA event in Osaka earlier this month. She beat world No. 24 Maria Kirilenko in Japan, before falling in the singles quarter-finals to eventual winner Tamarine Tanasugarn. The 19-year-old from Taoyuan did even better in the doubles, teaming up with Lilia Osterloh to claim the title.
Chang, who reached the singles semi-finals in Taipei last year, has been working hard on her fitness in preparation for this year’s tournament.
PHOTO: AFP
A bout of pneumonia left Chan in hospital and although earlier this week doctors said the 21-year-old was on the road to recovery, she needs more time to recuperate to avoid potential complications.
Nevertheless, Chan has managed to practice and said she felt fit enough to play in the doubles as a warm up for the Asian Games, but added that her doctors would assess her condition today before giving her the all-clear.
Chan and fellow Taiwanese Chuang Chia-jung won the doubles competition at last year’s tournament.
Despite Chan’s absence from the singles, fans can take some consolation from the return of 2008 champion Jarmila Groth.
Defending singles champs haven’t fared too well in Taipei — Groth missed last year’s tournament through injury — but she’s back this year and as the highest ranked player and top seed, will be favorite to win again this time round.
It’s been all change for Groth since she was last in Taiwan, as she has married and become an Australian citizen, having won in 2008 as Slovakian Jarmila Gajdosova.
The Aussie No. 2 has had a good year, progressing to the fourth round at Wimbledon, before Venus Williams ended her run. She won first her WTA title last month at the Guangzhou International Women’s Open, defeating Alla Kudryavtseva 6-1, 6-4 and boosting her ranking to a career-high 41 as a result.
The 23-year-old has also won 12 ITF tour singles titles and five doubles titles during her career to date.
Watch out for her big serve and some of her superstitions, like bouncing the ball twice before serving, not walking on the lines of the court and always drinking the same amount of water during changeovers.
Thai veteran Tamarine is another player who can be expected to do well, having reached the last eight in the singles last year, before losing to eventual winner Chan in a three-set thriller.
Another name to watch out for is Indian star Sania Mirza. The 23-year-old from Mumbai has been plagued by injuries of late, but the Commonwealth Games silver medal she won earlier this month may be evidence that the one-time world No. 27 is getting back to her best again.
Other players who could make an impact in the singles are Ayumi Morita of Japan and Australia’s Alicia Molik.
Morita, last year’s losing finalist, should be in a confident mood having won the ITF hardcourt tournament in Tokyo earlier this month.
Molik, 29, is in her first full year back on the circuit after having retired in 2008. The Aussie won an Olympic bronze medal in the singles tournament at the Athens Olympics in 2004, has two Grand Slam doubles titles and was ranked as high as No. 8 in the world in singles in 2005.
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