Much is expected from former world No.4 Jelena Dokic

Hyderabad: Tennis fans in the country are in for a big treat as the third edition of the $140,000 WTA Tour Hyderabad Open kicks off here on Monday featuring as many as three Indians in the main draw line-up.

Women?s tennis in the country certainly has not had this big before, and with none less than the legendary Martina Navratilova set to play her first ever match in India, the excitement is unprecedented.

The organisers of course will also be hoping to ride on the Sania-mania that has gripped the public and the media following the teenager?s stupendous run in the Australian Open Grand Slam last month.

It seems to matter little that the 18-year-old local favourite, who became the first Indian woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam singles event, is nursing a sore ankle and would be taking a huge risk by playing the event in her first year on the seniors? circuit.

And equally irrelevant would be the fact that Navratilova would not be playing the singles and only the doubles.

The real joy for India fans is in the main draw line up which features US-based Shikha Uberoi and 17-year old Delhi girl Ankita Bhambri besides Sania.

It is for the first time in recent memory that three Indian women have entered the main draw of a tier 4 event. The future of women?s tennis in the country which had looked gloomy not so long ago, suddenly seems to be bright.

The other major attraction at the event is Jelena Dokic, the former world No. 4, who is now attempting a comeback from a long lay-off last year.

The atmosphere here has been electric since the arrival of 48-year old Martina.

The American legend is pairing up with Germany?s Anna-Lena Groenefeld with the duo being firm favourites to lift the title.

Sania, the defending doubles champion, is combining with Shikha to spearhead the Indian campaign.

China?s Na Li, to whom Sania owes her Australian Open wild card, has been given the top billing in the singles.

Li was the original wild card entrant at the year?s first Grand Slam but she made rapid strides by the year end so much so that her ranking was good enough for direct acceptance. Li?s ranking of 56 in the WTA Tour list puts in perspective Sania?s achievement and hoopla surrounding it.

Defending champion Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand is seeded sixth.

Sania takes on Romania?s Delia Sescioreanu in the first round.

Ranked 148, Shikha, who had so far been representing the US, her resident country, is pitted against Hungary?s Melinda Czink, 128, while Ankita runs into fifth seed Marta Domachowska of Poland.

There are as many as eight players in the top 100 who are vying for honours ? Li of China (56), Groenefeld of Germany (58), Tatiana Panova of Russia (60), Jie Zheng of China (61), Marta Domachowska of Poland (66), Tanasugarn (67), Lubomira Kurhajcova of Slovakia (90) and Maria Kirilenko (last year?s runner-up) of Russia (94).

Much is expected from Dokic, who caused a sensation at Wimbledon in 1999 beating the then world No. 1 Martina Hingis 6-2, 6-0, and move 92 slots that year. But off-court problems, lay-offs and injury saw her ranking slip to the current 124.

Known for her fighting spirits, the 21-year-old from Serbia Montenegro, a winner of five WTA titles who also holds a taekwondo blackbelt, is bound to be a star attraction here.