Caroline Wozniacki leads a strong field of players at the New Haven Open, all seeking extra matches ahead of the US Open.
She's seeking her fourth New Haven title but don't bank on the Dane even getting past the early stages this week. She could face the dangerous Nadia Petrova in round two.
French Open champion Na Li gave the organisers a boost by taking a wildcard and she's seeded second. The Chinese star may be poised to overtake Maria Sharapova as the world's highest earning sportswoman but she's struggled to deal with the on-court affairs since triumphing in Paris although there were some promising signs last week.
The eventual winner is much more likely to come from the remainder of the seeding list. Former world number one Jelena Jankovic has disappeared into the shadows over the past couple of seasons but the Serb re-emerged with aplomb in Cincinnati where she's competing in the final as we write.
Fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska has also enjoyed a superb hard-court season, beating Vera Zvonareva to win the Carlsbad title earlier this month and making the semis in Toronto.
Marion Bartoli is also always a threat on hard courts. She looked poised to end Serena Williams' run in the Stanford final last month but lost her way. The Frenchwoman has been out of action with injury over the last few weeks and she's looking to regain her touch ahead of the important stuff to come in New York.