Seoul Preview

With opportunities to secure a place at November's Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions rapidly running out, a resurgent Daniela Hantuchova leads an intriguing field at the $220,000 Hansol Korea Open this week. All eight seeds at the International level event are ranked inside the Top 50, with several veterans lining up against some of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's most promising young talent.

It's been nearly two years since Hantuchova won her last title at Linz, a victory that secured the Slovak star a spot at the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships. Soon after a foot stress fracture precipitated a fall from the Top 10 - and eventually the Top 40 - but the 26-year-old has had a solid summer, reaching two quarterfinals during the Olympus US Open Series and the fourth round at Flushing Meadows itself. By and large, losses to lesser lights have been cut out, and if she can keep up that momentum the world No.21 will be tough to stop this week. Her first round opponent, Japanese teenager Ayumi Morita, will no doubt have other ideas.

On the other side of the draw Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues is a No.2 seed looking to recapture some magic. Having finally cracked the Top 20 at the age of 26, her progress has stalled in recent months, and an early loss in Guangzhou last week won't have done much for confidence. Her first opponent is a tough one too: Germany's Andrea Petkovic is a thoughtful player who won her first Tour title on clay at Bad Gastein in July and backed it up with a semifinal run on hardcourts at Istanbul. Her US season was flat by comparison, though, and an early upset would be the perfect remedy. 

Reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, the fourth round at the US Open and the final at Prague has given third seed Francesca Schiavone plenty to shout about this summer; with the Fed Cup final looming, the 29-year-old will be keen to keep her form at the highest level. Seeded fourth is Sorana Cirstea; this time last year she was on her way to a first Tour title at Tashkent, but thanks to her quarterfinal run at Roland Garros and other fine results, the young Romanian has established herself as a Top 30 player and a real contender this week. First up is big-serving Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany.

Three talented Russians, two of them gunning for a first Tour title, hold the next three seedings. No.5 seed Alisa Kleybanova has scored the flashiest wins this season, while No.6 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will be looking for the form that carried her to the semis at Indian Wells. Seventh seeded Vera Dushevina won her first Tour title at Istanbul and seems to be ready to take her career to the next level too.

Austria's Sybille Bammer is seeded eighth; the 29-year-old's ranking dipped after she failed to repeat last year's quarterfinal run at the US Open, but she won her second Tour singles title at Prague in July and can never be discounted.

Wildcards have been awarded to Koreans Lee Ye-Ra, who opens against Japanese icon Kimiko Date Krumm; Yoo Mi; and Kim So-Jung.

Defending champion Maria Kirilenko is back but unseeded; the Russian has drawn a qualifier in the opening round. Groenefeld and Katarina Srebotnik are the top seeds in the doubles.