Agnieszka Radwanska will be looking to defend her Tianjin Open title later this year, as her return to the tournament is confirmed.
Also in action will be Alison Riske, who won the inaugural edition of the event in 2014, whilst Elena Vesnina will also be returning after a strong season so far.
Furthermore, Olympic champion Monica Puig, two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, and top-20 player Timea Bacsinszky will all be in action.
Previous champions in action
The fact that the tournament has been able to confirm Radwanska and Riske, the two champions from the two previous events, is undoubtedly a huge success for the tournament.
Radwanska received a wildcard into the tournament last year as she looked to try and make the WTA Finals (which she eventually won), and the second seed beat the likes of Karolina Pliskova and Danka Kovinic to take the title. With the Pole in a good position to qualify for Singapore this year, Tianjin will likely be used as more hard court preparation.
Meanwhile, after a pretty disappointing season so far, Riske will be looking to end her season on a high in a place where she’s had success in the past. The American beat Belinda Bencic in the 2014 final to win her first (and to date, only) WTA title; she’ll also be looking to improve on her showing from last year where, as the seventh seed, she fell in the second round to Timea Babos.
Strong field confirmed behind them
The tournament has arguably secured the strongest field in its history, with the likes of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Monica Puig set to be in action.
Both women have been in encouraging form this season, with Kuznetsova returning to the top ten in the rankings and Puig taking the Olympic title, and this tournament could be crucial for both; the Russian could well be chasing a spot at the WTA Finals, whilst the Puerto Rican could be after a spot at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai.
Elena Vesnina was in action in Tianjin last year, reaching the second round, but she could well be a title contender, this time around after a year in which she has arguably been in the form of her life. Meanwhile, after her breakout season in 2015, Timea Bacsinszky has had a solid season and will be looking for some wins as she, like Vesnina and Puig, looks to make Zhuhai.