World number one Justine Henin-Hardenne is hot favourite to complete a Gulf double at the WTA Qatar Open, which starts on Monday.
Henin-Hardenne beat Russian teenager Svetlana Kuznetsova to retain her the Dubai Open crown on Saturday, her third title of the year.
In the absence of Wimbledon champion Serena Williams, who withdrew from the tournament because of illness, and injured world number three Amelie Mauresmo of France, Henin-Hardenne's main rival should be second seed Jennifer Capriati.
The draw, held on Saturday, was kind to Henin-Hardenne. The Belgian, unbeaten this year, has a first-round bye and is then drawn to meet either world number 39 Maria Vento-Kabchi of Venezuela or a qualifier.
The 21-year-old's quarter-final opponent could be eighth-seeded Magui Serna with a possible semi-final clash against Japan's Ai Sugiyama.
In contrast, defending champion Anastasia Myskina of Russia faces a harder task in the bottom half of the draw which also includes Capriati, Jelena Dokic, Silvia Farina Elia and last year's beaten finalist Elena Likhovtseva.
"It's a tough draw for me, but then the Doha tournament itself has grown in its stature. It's a Tier II event and the participation of more highly-ranked players was expected," Myskina said.
"I did not play to my potential in Dubai where I crashed out in the quarter-finals. I could have done better. I hope to do better here, certainly better than the quarter-finals," the 22-year-old added.
favourite for Gulf double
