China Open poised to shine despite absent stars

Even with the withdrawal of two of its brightest stars, the 2016 China Open in Beijing is still set to serve tennis fans a spectacular during the National Day holiday, highlighted by heavyweight clashes.

With a festival atmosphere already pervading the Chinese capital, the annual tournament swings into action on Saturday at north Beijing downtown's National Tennis Center.

As the biggest combined tournament on the Asian leg of the professional tennis calendar, this year's China Open has attracted all available top-47 women players and most of the top-30 men to fight for a share of $9.2 million in total prize money as well as the 1,000 and 500 ranking points for the female and male champions.

However, the absences of men's world No 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia and women's 22-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams of the United States, citing injuries, have cast a shadow on the marquee event.

"The China Open is one of my favorite tournaments where I have a lot of success. I am very sad not to be able to compete in Beijing this year. I am still recovering from my elbow injury and have been advised not to play tournaments until my condition improves and allows me to compete," said Djokovic, who won the men's singles six times on a 29-0 record at the ATP 500 event in Beijing.

The remaining lineups in both the women's and men's main draw events still boast enough big-name contenders such as Germany's female world No 1 Angelique Kerber, men's 14-time major champion Rafael Nadal of Spain and Britain's Olympic and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray.

With the mighty Williams sidelined by a shoulder injury, Keber looks set to continue her winning momentum in Beijing after bagging two Grand Slam titles, the Australian Open and US Open in one calendar year in 2016, and to cement her top spot toward the year end.

Spain's Garbine Muguruza, who stunned Williams in the final to win her first major at Roland Garros this year, will join the likes of Polish world No 4 Agnieszka Radwanska and 2010 champion Caroline Wozniacki in an open fight for the crown of the fourth and last WTA Premier Mandatory stop this year.

On the men's side, the potential 25th head-to-head encounter between Murray and Nadal leads the storyline, while the surging younger generation spearheaded by Canada's 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic will be a force to be reckoned with in Beijing.

Meanwhile, local talent such as women's 2016 Australian Open quarterfinalist Zhang Shuai, 2014 US Open semifinalist Peng Shuai and men's domestic No 1 Zhang Ze have all made it to the main draw tournaments through rankings and wild card entries.

"Offering wild cards to local young players has been a common practice among tournaments worldwide. The China Open's strong field has provided Chinese youngsters a valuable drill to face off against some of the world's best aces at their doorsteps," said Alfred Zhang, China Open tournament director.

Apart from the star-studded cast, the tournament has upgraded the lighting and audio facilities of the 15,000-seat Diamond Court to offer a more electrifying experiences for spectators with financial support from multiple marketing partners such as Harvest Fund.