With no more than two weeks before the eagerly-anticipated China Open, TOM Group Limited, the event's operator, is aiming to promote it as a first-class tournament with Chinese flair featuring the world's high-profile tennis phenoms.

"China Open is a ten-year event in the country, so we will try to add more Chinese culture into it step by step," said Ekkehard Rathgeber, TOM's chief operating officer. "It's not only a tennis tournament but also a reflection of Chinese culture."

This year, the US$1.1 million tournament has attracted a stronger line-up than its first year. French Open winner Rafael Nadal will take to the court along with Spaniards Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Argentine Guillermo Coria.

On the women's side, five of the world's top 10 players will join the all-star roster, including World No 1, World No 2 Lindsay Davenport of the United States, as well as World No 2 Russian Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Tennis celebrities Serena and Venus Williams will also bring the glitz and glamour of the sport to Beijing.

"I am confident to organize a successful tournament this year," said Rathgeber. "I hope it will elevate Beijing's status in the world of sports."

As the biggest tennis extravaganza ever held in Beijing, China Open has opened the floodgates for tennis mania across the city in 2004 when Russian Marat Safin and Serena Williams clinched the titles.

"Their participation proves the status of China Open," said Rathgeber.

However, some said a star-studded roster is not enough to lift the China Open into world-class heights as fans doubt whether those tennis superstars really take the event seriously.

Moya lost in the first round last year. German Rainer Shuttler and Ferrero were then ousted in the second round.

But Rathgeber believes fans will see all-around improvements this year.

"I will communicate with all the players about this issue.

"We have made some specific improvements on the event's preparation, including services for players, media and spectators, ticketing, promotional activities, traffic and security concerns," he said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Organized by The State Administration of Sports and Beijing Municipal government, the tournament has attracted wide sponsorships from the likes of Coca Cola, Citizen, Mercedes-Benz, Sony-Ericsson and Lacoste. The event also teamed up with China Centre Television (CCTV) and Sohu.com. About 300 media from home and abroad have confirmed their attendance.

As for the ticket sales, "Emma", the event's official ticketing agent, has released wide-ranging ticket prices for fans. The tickets are divided into five categories ranging from 25 yuan (US$3) to 1,200 yuan (US$148), cheaper overall than last year.

At the moment, the organizers are training volunteers and more English-speaking security personnel are expected to be part of the event.

(China Daily September 1, 2005)