Henin all keyed up for title defence

Dubai: Top seed and three-time champion here, Justine Henin is targeting a fourth title as the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open gets under way at the Dubai Tennis Stadium from tomorrow.

"I like this tournament a lot and I appreciate all that the organisers are doing to help the growth of tennis," Henin told media at the official draws ceremony held at the Dubai Tennis Stadium late yesterday.

The top-seeded Henin's record in Dubai is impeccable - winning the title three times here without losing a match. "It feels nice to have such a record. And I hope I can add a fourth title here this year," Henin smiled.

Henin gets a bye for the first round and her second round opponent will either be one of the four qualifiers or Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia.

Wild card offer

Second seed Amelie Mauresmo, who accepted a wild card offer from at the very last minute, is at the bottom half of the draw as the second seed here.

The Frenchwoman, scheduled to play in the Antwerp Open final later today, will also get a first-round bye, and will meet either a qualifier or Russian Elena Likhovtseva in the second round.

Third-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, a likely candidate to run into Henin in the semifinals, has also been given a first round bye. She will play either another qualifier or Meghann Shaughnessy of the United States in the second round.

Martina Hingis, the winner of the inaugural Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, is the fourth seed here and she too will meet either a qualifier or Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues in the second round.

George Horan, Deputy Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, appreciated the tremendous interest shown in this tournament by both players and spectators over the years. "We've sold out tickets for the semifinals and finals of both the men's and women's competitions," Horan said.

Tournament Director Salah Tahlak was confident the last-minute withdrawal of Serena and Sharapova would not dent the week-long competition.

"This may come as bad news for the fans, but there are other top-class players who are capable of showcasing the sport here," Tahlak said.