Btw, this made me laugh at the bottom of the drawsheet:

Alternates:

Zhang, Yuxuan - Unaware of Wild Card replaced by
Alternate Wild Card Yang, Zhaoxuan

Ha Ha, you would have thought that they could have covered that up or found alternative wording.

But these Chinese are so damnedly open :)

A great shame for Li Na that the repeated injuries to her long suffering knees have finally forced her retirement, just before she could play in the inaugural event in her home town.
The open letter she wrote announcing her decision was really lovely.

I shall dearly miss her bright openness and humour. There's no one else remotely like her on the Tour.
A trailblazing career that achieved probably more than anyone originally would have thought.

May Li & Jiang Shan settle into a domesticly blissful and contented version of the gently bickering couple they've been on Tour for the last 15 years.

PaulM wrote:

---

Sad to see Li Na go. What a character.

Heather will play 11th seed Errani (who lost to Erakovic last week so is beatable, but given Heather's recent form.....)

---

 

Echo thoughts on Li Na. Also a great loss to China when tennis has increased it's profile so much in the last few years (one example being this event)

As for Hev i feel it might have been better for her to have stayed in the qualies, she needs a couple of wins at the moment, and it will be difficult in the main draw.

Now confirmed in the live scores app draw lists; it is Errani.

I agree with Sim though, I think having to play Qualies might have been better.
Of course, if she beats Errani, then that single win will prove more profitable. But, it's a tough nut to crack.

Alison Riske / Heather Watson play Cara Black / Caroline Garcia in the first round

Can't get a functioning stream on my phone, but heather seems stronger player from livescore. ( having recovered from veing broken in her opening service game)