The entry list for the Bank of the West Classic, on of the most popular tournaments on the WTA tour, has been announced, with several recognizable names in action.
The tournament, which is held in Stanford, is one of the first tournaments of the American hard court summer, taking place from the 18th-25th of July.
Former champions and finalists in action
Some of the stars in action have had some success at the tournament in the past, with the two former champions and two former runners-up in action.
The top seed is set to be Agnieszka Radwanska, who was the finalist at the tournament in 2013 and has played regularly at the tournament. There is little doubt that the Pole will be a strong contender here.
Also in action will be Venus Williams, who won the tournament back in 2000 and 2002. The American is set to be the second seed and will be looking for some form after a fairly disappointing season so far.
The other former champion in action is Dominika Cibulkova, who beat Radwanska in the final in 2013. The Slovakian is set to be the fourth seed in Stanford and will be looking to build on a strong season so far.
Furthermore, 2012 finalist Coco Vandeweghe is scheduled to be the eighth seed at the tournament. The American has had a mixed year so far, and will be looking for some good form at a tournament where she has had success in the past.
High profile players currently set to be seeded
As well as the players above, four other well-known names are set to be seeded at the tournament.
Johanna Konta, who has had a very strong 12 months, will certainly be a strong contender for the title and is set to be the third seed in Stanford. Also in action will be the talented, yet erratic, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who is set to be the fifth seed.
Two exciting young talents are also set be in action. Russian Daria Kasatkina, set to be the sixth seed, and Latvia Jelena Ostapenko, set to be the seventh seed, are two of the most promising young players on tour and could cause some damage in Stanford.
All the predicted seedings are based on the current rankings, so a lot may have changed by the time the seedings are made.
Dark horses among the unseeded players
There are several unseeded players set to be in action that the seeded players will look to avoid when the draw is made.
One of the most notable of these is Timea Babos, who has played well in 2016 and has recorded wins over the likes of Venus Williams this year, whilst Misaki Doi, who has beaten Johanna Konta this season, will also be tricky to face. Also Saisai Zheng, who has beaten the likes of Konta and Angelique Kerber this season, will also fancy her chances of pulling off an upset.
Americans Vavara Lepchenko, who was a semifinalist last year, and Nicole Gibbs, who has made a name for herself this season, will both be capable of upsetting a big name, whilst the likes of Alize Cornet, and Ukrainians Kateryna Bondarenko and Lesia Tsurenko, are also capable of going far in the tournament.
Further players in action
One of the most experienced players at the tournament will be Su-Wei Hsieh, who is joined by fellow Asian star Nao Hibino in Stanford.
Mariana Duque-Marino and Magda Linette complete the full entry list.