Former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki has been awarded a wild card into this year's WTA Wuhan Open tournament, organizers announced late Monday, a day after the Dane had advanced into the US Open quarterfinals.
"I'm very happy at the thought of going back to Wuhan again and meeting with the enthusiastic Chinese fans there," Wozniacki said in a statement written in Chinese.
The 26-year-old had competed twice in the Wuhan Open, a WTA Premier 5 event held annually in Chinese super star Li Na's home city. She powered into the semi-finals of the 2.4-million-US dollar tournament in 2014.
Nine of the world's top 10 women tennis players have confirmed to compete in this year's tournament, the Wuhan Open organizing committee said. The only one missing from the list is seventh-ranked Victoria Azarenka, who announced in July that she was pregnant and would step away from the sport for a while.
With Wozniacki's entry, this year's Wuhan Open will feature eight Grand Slam winners and five former world No. 1. Previously, a total of 43 players from 23 countries and regions qualified for the tournament scheduled to run from Sept. 23 to Oct. 1.
In Wuhan, Wozniacki will also take part in local activities to promote the Wuhan Marathon, an international sports event new to the central Chinese city.
Wozniacki completed the 26.2-mile New York marathon in an impressive time of 3:26:33 in November 2014. She was greeted at the finish line by rival tennis player Serena Williams. By running, she raised more than 81,000 dollars for children.
