(MENAFN- The Peninsula) World number three Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic will lead a field of exceptional players who will take to the courts at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex here today.
The two-time Wimbledon champion is one of the five players ranked in the top 10 who will be seen in action at the $731,000 championship.
Defending champion Simona Halep of Romania, who beat Angelique Kerber of Germany to win the title last year, will not be here this time to defend her title but world number five Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, world number 10 Andrea Petkovic of Germany and world number nine Ekaterina Makarova of Russia are some of top-ten ranked players who have made the trip to Doha.
World number four Halep, who won the Dubai WTA event on Saturday, was forced to withdraw due to an injury.
However, she will still come to the Qatar Total Open, a tournament she loves to take part in, and be a part of some promotional activities, the organisers said.
"From our point of view the most important thing is the health of a player. It is unfortunate Simona has had to withdraw from defending her title. She is a popular player and we wish her well for her next tournament," Tournament Director Saad Al Mohannadi said.
With the pull out of Halep, Kvitova will be hoping to win her first title on her third visit to Qatar. Having lost in the pre-quarter-finals in Dubai last week, the Czech is determined to make amends.
The 24-year-old said she is getting used to the windy conditions here.
"This year is a little bit different from what I remember from the previous years, which is the wind. I practiced yesterday and it was really nothing like tennis, it was more like badminton. But it's fun on the other side. Still you can't really feel the ball how you want it and you have to be ready for it.
"Sometimes it's also difficult if somebody has a little trouble with the body. So it's difficult," she said.
The Wimbledon champions said she enjoys playing in Qatar.
"I think it's getting better"It's warm here but it's always nice. And I feel well here on the court. It's a little bit slow than in Dubai," she said.
Besides Kvitova, the tournament has many current and former Grand Slam winners vying for top honours, including seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams of the US, former world number one Jelena Jankovic, 2011 US Open winner Sam Stosur of Australia, two-time former Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia and Victoria Azarenka.
Kuznetsova is not new to Doha having finished as runner-up twice. Two-time former champion Azarenka of Belarus is one of the three players who has been given a wildcard for the event.
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