Davenport bound for Bali tourney after U.S. Open quarterfinal exit<\/p>\n
Agencies, Jakarta<\/p>\n
World number one Lindsay Davenport and defending champion
\nSvetlana Kuznetsova will spearhead the competition at the
\nUS$225,000 WTA Wismilak tennis tournament in Nusa Dua, Bali, next
\nweek.<\/p>\n
Organisers said Davenport, who was defeated by sixth-seeded
\nRussian Elena Dementieva in the U.S. Open on Wednesday, had
\nconfirmed that she would take part in Southeast Asia's biggest
\ninternational women's tennis event on Sept. 11-Sept. 18.<\/p>\n
Davenport will be joined by other stars, including Kuznetsova
\nof Russia, Switzerland's Patty Schnyder and one of the game's
\nrising stars, Serbian Jelena Jankovic.<\/p>\n
"We are delighted that a player of Lindsay Davenports stature
\nwants to play in Bali," tournament director Kevin Livesey was
\nquoted as saying on the event's website by Agence France-Presse.<\/p>\n
"We are also thrilled to welcome back many old friends such as
\nSvetlana Kuznetsova."<\/p>\n
Kuznetsova won last year's Bali title, defeating unheralded
\nMarlene Weingartner of Germany 6-1, 6-4, but has had a difficult
\n2005 due to injury. S<\/p>\n
Other players who have confirmed their participation include
\n10-time Grand Slams winner and Spanish veteran star Arantxa
\nSanchez-Vicario, who will pair with Kuznetsova in the doubles
\nevent, and India's rising star Sania Mirza.<\/p>\n
Indonesian number one Angelique Widjaja, who is still
\nrecovering from a nagging knee injury after surgery last
\nNovember, withdrew last month after being offered a wild card.<\/p>\n
Mirza, 18, made history last week as the first Indian woman to
\nreach the fourth round of a Grand Slam event, losing to Russia's
\nMaria Sharapova, and the first to break into the world top 50.<\/p>\n
However, she came under fire on Friday in her native
\nHyderabad.<\/p>\n
A Muslim organization has issued an edict telling her to cover
\nup during matches, and said her short skirts and sleeveless
\nshirts were "un-Islamic," newspapers reported.<\/p>\n
"The dress she wears on the tennis courts not only doesn't
\ncover large parts of her body but leaves nothing to the
\nimagination," newspaper quoted Haseeb-ul-hasan Siddiqui of the
\nSunni Ulema Board as saying.<\/p>\n
He said Islam did not permit women to wear skirts, shorts and
\nsleeveless tops in public and that she should cover up.<\/p>\n
Siddiqui said he was worried Mirza was becoming a role model
\nfor younger generations of Muslim girls.<\/p>\n
"She will undoubtedly be a corrupting influence on these young
\nwomen, which we want to prevent," the Hindustan Times quoted him
\nas saying in Hyderabad.<\/p>\n
Siddiqui said Mirza should follow the example of Iranian women
\nwho wore long tunics and headscarves to play in the Asian
\nBadminton Championship in Hyderabad earlier this week.<\/p>",
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