TENNIS in DEPTH.

Former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli, Australian number one Samantha Stosur and US Open semi-finalist Yanina Wickmayer top the list of entries for the inaugural Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions next week. In addition, wild cards have been given to Germany’s Sabine Lisicki and Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan.

The $600,000 event is open to the top 10 players who have claimed at least one of the 30 International Series events on the WTA Tour during 2009 and are not competing in the WTA Championships in Doha.

“Players and fans are excited about the upcoming inaugural Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in beautiful Bali,” said Stacey Allaster, Chairman and CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. “The event promises to be a fantastic finale for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s International tournaments. With the field featuring some of the Tour’s leading players and next generation stars, a great week of tennis and fierce competition is guaranteed.”

While Lisicki is a comparative newcomer, the second wild card has gone to veteran Kimiko Date Krumm, who in winning the Korea Open in Seoul a day before her 39th birthday became the second oldest player ever to win a Tour title.

Two Spaniards are included among the other seven players to be competing. Anabel Medina Garrigues has enjoyed her most successful season, climbing into the top 20 for the first time. As well as winning the Roland Garros doubles for a second straight year, she made her mark in singles by claiming the title in Fes to qualify her for the Tournament of Champions, and she later went on to reach the final in Seoul.

Fellow Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez claimed two International Series events this year, winning Bogota in February before adding another in Bastad in July. Along with Stosur, she is one of just two players to qualify for both the doubles in Doha and a place in the Tournament of Champions in Bali.

The full list of participants and the International Series events they won is:
Marion Bartoli – Monterrey – ranked 12
Samantha Stosur – Osaka – 13
Yanina Wickmayer – Estoril, Linz – 19
Anabel Medina Garrigues – Fes – 27
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez  – Bogota, Bastad – 31
Shahar Peer – Guangzhou, Tashkent – 32
Melinda Czink – Quebec – 39
Agnes Szavay – Budapest – 42
Aravane Rezai – Strasbourg – 44
Magdalena Rybarikova – Birmingham – 46
Sabine Lisicki – 25 – wild card
Kimiko Date Krumm – Seoul – 100 – wild card
Vera Dushevina – Istanbul – 49 – Alternate

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