Maria Sharapova to compete at Shenzhen Open

Ahead of the upcoming Shenzhen Open, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has confirmed that five-time major champion Maria Sharapova will compete at the seventh edition of the tournament.

Although the entire line-up of players will be announced in due course, tournament director Luiz Carvalho said: "This is an opportunity to let all fans of the Shenzhen Open know in advance that we are in for an exciting week of tennis at Shenzhen Longgang Sports Center," according to WTA.

The deputy chairman of the Chinese Tennis Association, Liu Wenbin, said: "Every year, the Shenzhen Open grows and continues to be an exciting stop on the world tour as well as being a very important part of China's tennis development. From the tournament's first year when (Chinese tennis star) Li Na won the title, fans have greatly enjoyed seeing so many tremendous female players gracing our courts."

Apart from Sharapova, 2017 French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko and former WTA World number four Caroline Garcia will also take part at the Shenzhen Open.

In addition, the Chinese pair of Wang Xinyu and Wang Xiyu, who claimed the Wimbledon junior doubles title, while Wang Xiyu, who earned the 2018 US Open girls' title to become the first player from China to win, will also be present at the tournament.

The seventh edition of the Shenzhen Open is slated to be held from December 29 to January 5 in Shenzhen, China.