World number one Serena Williams leads the list of players entered to compete at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida.
Tournament officials announced on Wednesday that Williams will play for a record-setting sixth Sony Ericsson Open title in March.
Celebrating it’s 25th year, the Sony Ericsson Open returns to the Tennis Center at Crandon Park featuring the top 77 men and the top 76 women tennis players from around the globe. Players from 35 countries will convene on the purple hard courts beginning March 25 – April 5, on Key Biscayne.
Williams will have to fend off stiff competition from a hungry field of challengers including two-time Sony Ericsson Open finalist Maria Sharapova, 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Elena Dementieva, and fellow Russians Dinara Safina, Vera Zvonareva and 2006 Champion Sony Ericsson Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova; Serbians Ana Ivanovic and 2008 ITF World Singles Champion Jelena Jankovic; as well as three-time Sony Ericsson Open champion Venus Williams.
2009 Sony Ericsson Open Acceptance List
1. Williams, Serena, USA
2. Safina, Dinara, RUS
3. Jankovic, Jelena, SRB
4. Dementieva, Elena, RUS
5. Zvonareva, Vera, RUS
6. Williams, Venus, USA
7. Kuznetsova, Svetlana, RUS
8. Ivanovic, Ana, SRB
9. Petrova, Nadia, RUS
10. Radwanska, Agnieszka, POL
11. Pennetta, Flavia, ITA
12. Wozniacki, Caroline, DEN
13. Cornett, Alize, FRA
14. Bartoli, Marion, FRA
15. Azarenka, Victoria, BLR
16. Schnyder, Patty, RUS
17. Sharapova, Maria, RUS
18. Cibulkova, Dominika, SVK
19. Zheng, Jie, CHN
20. Medina Garrigues, Anabel, ESP
21. Srebotnik, Katarina, SLO
22. Chakvetadze, Anna, RUS
23. Kanepi, Kaia, EST
24. Mauresmo, Amelie, FRA
25. Sugiyama, Ai, JPN
26. Bammer, Sybille, AUT
27. Kleybanova, Alisa, RUS
28. Li, Na, CHN
29. Suarez Navarro, Carla, ESP
30. Szavay, Agnes, HUN
31. Bondarenko, Kateryna, UKR
32. Wozniak, Aleksandra, CAN
33. Errani, Sara, ITA
34. Benesova, Iveta, CZE
35. Peng, Shuai, CHN
36. Santangelo, Mara, ITA
37. Kirilenko, Maria, RUS
38. Schiavone, Francesca, ITA
39. Cirstea, Sorana, ROU
40. Hantuchova, Daniela, SVK
41. Mattek-Sands, Bethanie, USA
42. Tanasugarn, Tamarine, THA
43. Stosur, Samantha, AUS
44. Kvitova, Petra, CZE
45. Dulko, Gisela, ARG
46. Pavlyuchenkova, Anastasia, RUS
47. Pironkova, Tsvetana K, BUL
48. Niculescu, Monica, ROU
49. Peer, Shahar, ISR
50. Govortsova, Olga, BLR
51. Safarova, Lucie, CZE
52. Rybarilova, Magdalena, SVK
53. Keothavong, Anne V, GBR
54. Makarova, Ekaterina, RUS
55. Garbin, Tathiana, ITA
56. Bondarenko, Kateryna, UKR
57. Erakovic, Marina, NZL
58. Razzano, Virginie, FRA
59. Dechy, Nathalie, FRA
60. Knapp, Karin, ITA
61. Bacsinszky, Timea, SUI
62. Lisicki, Sabine K, GER
63. Chan, Yung-Jan, TPE
64. Groenefeld, Anna-Lena, GER
65. Kudryavtseva, Alla, RUS
66. Llagostera Vives, Nuria, ESP
67. Zakopalova, Klara, CZE
68. Parmentier, Pauline B, FRA
69. Johansson, Mathilde C, FRA
70. Martinez Sanchez, Maria Jose, ESP
71. Voskoboeva, Galina, KAZ
72. Vaidisova, Nicole, CZE
73. Arvidsson, Sofia, SWE
74. Dominguez Lino, Lourdes, ESP
75. Wickmayer, Yanina, BEL
76. Dushevina, Vera, RUS
Tickets to the Sony Ericsson Open are on sale now and can be purchased by phone (305-442-3367) or via internet at www.sonyericssonopen.com.
