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China Open: First Serve

China Open organizers on July 7 announced that the WTA Tour of women's professional tennis had joined the ATP men's tour in sanctioning the China Open as an official event.

This means that about 300 of the world's best tennis players, including junior- and senior-level competitors, will participate in an event that organizers expect to become a new major stop on the world professional tennis tours along with Wimbledon, the US Open, and the French and Australian opens.

Women's tennis superstar Serena Williams has joined Sharapova, five-time WTA champion Jelena Dokic and Chinese women's tennis sensation Zheng Jie in committing to play before tennis fans in Beijing, along with men's stars including Carlos Moya, Marat Safin, and Paradorn Scrichaphan of the ATP.

Organizers, the People's Government of Beijing Municipality and the General Administration of Sport of China, expect 600,000 tennis fans to view the action at Beijing's new tennis center, along with millions of others via CCTV-5 of China and via other television networks around the world.

Larry Scott, chief executive officer of the WTA Tour, in a press release, said, "Women's tennis warmly welcomes the China Open on the WTA Tour. As the premier and most global women's professional sport, we are delighted to join China's Ministry of Sport and the Beijing municipal government in developing the China Open into a very significant international tennis event."

Sun Kanglin, director of the Sports and Physical Culture Bureau of Beijing Municipality and vice-chairman and secretary-general of the China Open Organizing Committee, said, "As the host city for the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing welcomes more and more international sports events. The China Open will represent the city as its 'name card' and will bring more benefits to Beijing.

"We warmly invite all international players to Beijing and welcome tennis fans from all over the world to come to the China Open."

Zhang Xiaoning, vice-chairman and secretary-general of the China Tennis Association, said, "We will have more than 150 hours of broadcasting nationwide through our partnership with CCTV. Very quickly, we are achieving our objective of making the China Open one of the world's premier tennis events.

"The state-of-the-art Beijing Tennis Center, Beijing and China are looking forward to welcoming the world's top tennis players in September." In a press release, Serena Williams said, "I am very much looking forward to playing in the first-ever China Open. This will be my first trip to China and I have heard many great things about the country and Beijing. Naturally, I hope to be able to visit the Great Wall of China and the famous Forbidden City.

"I understand the Center Court will feature 10,000 seats, and I am sure the atmosphere will be great. I'm told the weather is excellent in Beijing at this time of the year and I will do my very best to have my name at the very top of the list of winners on the China Open trophy." Sharapova reportedly said, "I am looking forward to playing at the Beijing Tennis Center; I hear it will be a great venue.

"To win the first China Open would be great. I will do whatever it takes for me to succeed." Zhang Jie, who rose to prominence during the 2004 French Open, said, "Reaching the fourth round of the French Open was truly a 'dream come true' for me. I am very thankful that the General Administration of Sport in China and the China Tennis Association are providing us with such great support in giving us this great opportunity to play tennis full time.

"It is a dream for me to win the China Open some day. To win a major event at home, I think, is a dream of every athlete." Co-organizers of the event include the Chinese Tennis Association, Tennis Administration Center of the General Administration of Sport of China and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sport. Patron partners include Beijing Youth Daily and the TOM Group Limited. Beijing This Month Publications is a media sponsor of the event.

The event is being promoted by China Open Limited and Media Serv Asia Pacific Limited.

Marketing agents for the event are: Marketing Favour Co. Ltd., Pan-Asia Intercommunication Ad Co. Ltd.; and Beijing Y.J. Films and TV Advertising Co. Ltd.

Ticketing will be handled by Emma Entertainment Holdings Ltd. of Beijing.