MOSCOW, Aug 29 - World number one Justine Henin
will make her Kremlin Cup debut after being named the top seed
at the Tier I tournament, local organisers said on Wednesday.
The Belgian will be joined by former world number one Amelie
Mauresmo of France and a host of leading Russian players,
including world number four Svetlana Kuznetsova and defending
champion sixth-ranked Anna Chakvetadze.
However, world number two Maria Sharapova, who took part in
the $1.3 million indoor tournament in Moscow in the last two
years, will be absent.
"Maria and her camp have decided to skip our tournament this
year," Kremlin Cup executive director Alexander Katsnelson told
Reuters.
"They felt that because Maria did not play well here the
last two times, it would be appropriate that she gives it a miss
this year."
Sharapova was forced to pull out of the Kremlin Cup with a
foot injury last year and was beaten by compatriot Dinara Safina
in the quarter-finals in 2005.
The Kremlin Cup will be held at Moscow's Olympic sports
complex from Oct. 6 to 14.