Two former No. 1-ranked female tennis players will square off in an exhibition match this week in Seoul.
Maria Sharapova of Russia and Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark will meet in an offseason match this Friday, the event’s organizers said. They will play on a special court inside Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium, normally a basketball arena.
The first to claim two sets will be declared the winner. In their earlier exhibition match in Brazil on Dec. 7, Sharapova beat Wozniacki 6-2, 7-6.
Sharapova, currently ranked No. 2, captured the French Open this year to become only the 10th female player to complete a career Grand Slam ― having won each of the four major championships at least once.
Maria Sharapova (MCT)
She returned to No. 1 for the first time in four years by reaching the French Open final before losing the top spot following an early exit at Wimbledon.
Sharapova won the silver medal in women’s singles at the London Olympics, where she served as the flag bearer for Russia during the opening ceremony.
According to Forbes, Sharapova was the world’s richest female athlete from July 2011 to July 2012, with an estimated $27.1 million in earnings, mostly from off-court endorsements.
This will be Sharapova’s first trip to South Korea since 2004, when she became the inaugural champion of the Korea Open, the sole WTA tournament held in Seoul each fall.
Caroline Wozniacki (MCT)
Wozniacki is traveling to Seoul for the second time this year.
In September, she won the Korea Open tournament for her 19th career WTA title.
That put her fourth among active players in tournaments won, behind Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Sharapova.
In a video message released by the Korea Tennis Association, Wozniacki said she was looking forward to returning to South Korea.
“It’s going to be so much fun playing against Maria,” Wozniacki said.
“I won the tournament in Korea this year and going back there will bring back a lot of good memories. And playing in front of my fans there will be a lot of fun and I hope a lot of them will be supporting me.”
Wozniacki ended the 2010 and 2011 seasons as the No. 1 player, and was at the top of the rankings as recently as January this year. Currently ranked 10th, Wozniacki is still seeking her first Grand Slam title.
Wozniacki is dating Rory McIlroy, the No. 1-ranked male golfer and the 2012 PGA Tour Player of the Year. The Northern Ireland native is scheduled to travel with Wozniacki to Seoul.
During an exhibition match between Wozniacki and Sharapova in New York’s Madison Square Garden in March this year, McIlroy, watching from the stands, made a surprise appearance in the second set in jeans and a sweater, and won a point against Sharapova.
Lee Jin-soo, the head of JS Management, the organizer of the Seoul exhibition, said Wozniacki will team up with McIlroy for a mixed-doubles match in Seoul after her singles contest, while Sharapova will play alongside a popular South Korean TV personality, Lee Hui-jae. (Yonhap News)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
