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hinese tennis icon Li Na and Ana Ivanovic of Serbia are among the eight world-class athletes set to play in Bali next week at the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, the organizer’s final player-list release stated on Monday.

Ivanovic became eligible to play in Bali after her October triumph at the Generali Ladies in Linz, while Li secured her ticket after winning the AEGON Classic in Birmingham in July.

The line up also includes Aravane Rezai of France, who won the Collector Swedish Women’s Open in Bastad in July, Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium, who was the ASB Auckland Classic champion in January, Alisa Kleybanova of Russia, who won the Golden Horses Health Sanctuary Malaysian Open in February, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, the winner of the Monterrey Open in March.

The two wild cards are 40-year-old Japanese tennis veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm and Daniela Hantuchova. Date-Krumm earned the distinction as the oldest finalist when she played a marathon three-hour final at the HP Women’s in Japan two weeks ago.

Russian star Maria Sharapova has officially withdrawn from the tournament to nurse an injury, tournament director Kevin Livesey announced Monday.

The US$600,000 tournament will take place Nov. 4-7 at the Bali International Convention Center at the Nusa Dua Westin Resort. —JP