Mauresmo makes return at China Open

　　BEIJING (TICKER) -- After missing two months with a thigh injury, Amelie Mauresmo makes her return at the $600,000 China Open.

　　The 28-year-old Frenchwoman has not played since her country's 3-2 loss in the Fed Cup to Italy in July, missing out on the U.S. Open.

　　Mauresmo was the runner-up to Svetlana Kuznetsova at this Tier II hardcourt event last year and will be looking for a good showing in Beijing. The former world No. 1 has struggled this season, failing to make it beyond the quarterfinals in over half the tournaments she has competed in.

　　Mauresmo is the third seed and earned a first-round bye, which was accorded to the top four players. She will face the winner of Germany's Martina Muller and Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania in the second round.

　　Kuznetsova is the top seed and will be looking to build on her recent string of success by defending her title this week.

　　The 22-year-old Russian finished as a runner-up to Belgian Justine Henin at the U.S. Open and has a remarkably consistent season on the WTA Tour, winning the title in New Haven as well as runner-up finishes at five other events. These successes have helped Kuznetsova rise to a career-high ranking of No. 2 in the world.

　　She also won both of her singles matches last week, as Russian regained the Fed Cup from Italy.

　　In total, Kuznetsova owns an impressive 7-1 record here at the Beijing Tennis Centre. She will face either American Abigail Spears or local player Zi Yan in a second-round encounter.

　　Serbian Jelena Jankovic is the second seed and will be hoping to add the hardcourt title in China to her growing trophy cabinet.

　　The 22-year-old has won a career-high four titles this year, including the Tier I events in Charleston and Rome, rising to a career-high ranking of No. 3. In her previous appearance at the tournament, Jankovic made a run to the semifinals.

　　Russian Elena Dementieva is the fourth seed.

　　A dark horse lurking in the draw is three-time Grand Slam winner, Lindsay Davenport.

　　The 31-year-old American made her first singles appearance on WTA Tour since September 2006 by winning the tournament in Bali last week. The win came a mere three months after she gave birth to her first child, Jagger Jonathan Leach Davenport.

　　Swiss star Martina Hingis is seeded fifth and was set to open Monday against China's Tiantian Sun, but the match was postponed due to rain.

　　In the lone match that was completed, Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova defeated Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki, 6-0, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1.

　　First prize is $88,265.

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