BANGKOK – World number one Caroline Wozniacki and Kim Clijsters will be seen sharing court space in Thailand. Come New Year’s Day, the two will play an exhibition match in Hua Hin, Thailand. Immediately following their friendly match they will head off on short vacations with their families before the 2011 season kicks off in earnest.
The two leading ladies of tennis are currently on location with their families in Hua Hin, where the 84 World Tennis Invitation Hua Hin, is being held in honour of His Majesty the King of Thailand. The Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand and its President, Suwat Lipatapanlop, hope that the event will not only be a worthy celebration of the King’s 84th year but will also promote tourism in the country.
Other tennis stars set to participate in the event include the world number one doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan of the United States, who will be fighting it out against local twins Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana. Former basketball star Brian Lynch will be among the spectators at the event, along with his daughter Jada.
All four visiting tennis stars have been booked to talk about and promote tourism in Thailand during their stay. The organizers of the event, BEC-Tero, have scheduled a number of activities for the players to meet this purpose; the tennis stars will be seen giving alms to monks, riding elephants in vineyards, and getting spa treatments and Thai cooking lessons.
The exhibition match between Wozniacki and Clijsters is scheduled for 5 pm on January 1, 2011. The action will be getting live coverage on Channel 9, ESPN and the Tennis Channel, and will be immediately followed by the face-off between the doubles teams.
Twenty-year-old Wozniacki is this year’s International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Champion, the first Danish player to receive a senior ITF award. She is the youngest woman on the WTA Top 15 and the 10th player in the history of the WTA to have finished a season as world number one. She is also the fourth youngest player to have done so after Martina Hingis, Monica Seles and Steffi Graf. The youngster has won an amazing 25 matches out of the last 28 that she has played and has won six titles this season, more than anyone else on the ITF circuit in 2010.
Meanwhile, reigning US Open champ Clijsters is all geared to take the 2011 Australian Open by a storm. If the current world number three wins the Australian Open, which is also scheduled for January, she will grab the number one title from right under Wozniacki’s nose.
