Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki lead field at Zhuhai WTA meet

Beijing: Three former WTA World No.1 champions Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Jelena Jankovic will lead the field at the upcoming WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, a media report said on Friday.

The event features both singles and doubles and will be staged in the Chinese coastal city of Zhuhai, Xinhua reported.

The Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai will take place at the new, custom designed and state-of-the art Zhuhai Hengqin International Tennis Center.

With a total prize money of $2.15 million and 700 ranking points awarded to the champion, the tournament is one of the most prestigious on the tennis calendar, a status highlighted by the addition of tennis legend Li Na as an ambassador.

Among the prominent list of Zhuhai competitors are 2015 US Open runner-up Roberta Vinci, rising stars Karolina Pliskova, Madison Keys, and Elina Svitolina.

"We are excited to bring elite professional tennis to the spectacular city of Zhuhai for this inaugural event," stated Steve Simon, CEO of the WTA.

"The Huajin Securities WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai is a new event on the WTA calendar with an innovative format," stated Peter Johnston, tournament director.