Former world No.1 Garbine Muguruza of Spain is aiming for a return to the winners' circle by lifting the WTA-sanctioned 2019 Thailand Open trophy next weekend.
Muguruza, a winner of two Grand Slam titles whose world ranking has slipped to No.18, is among the 32 players who will be vying for the singles crown at the event, which offers a total of US$250,000 (eight million baht) in prize money.
The Spanish ace has been seeded top for the tournament, which gets underway on Monday and ends on Sunday at True Arena Hua Hin.
The other big names participating in the Thailand Open include second seed and world No.19 Caroline Garcia of France and 2013 Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki, who has received a wildcard.
Several stars have already arrived in the country for the tournament. Apart from Muguruza, who arrived on Thursday night, Chinese stars Peng Shuai, Duan Yingying and Wang Wafan are in Hua Hin to prepare for the WTA event.
Muguruza said: "This is my second time coming to Thailand. My first visit was to Pattaya many years ago. It was a good trip and I found the Thai culture to be very different from Spain.
"I liked Pad Thai very much although it is spicy. If I have a chance, I will eat it again on this trip and try some other Thai dishes as well."
She added: "I am ready for every tournament that I am participating in. I hope to win here. I will try my best for a good result.
"There are some strong players in the tournament and I am feeling really excited. I hope the Thai tennis fans will enjoy the competition."
Meanwhile, Peng, Duan and Wang had a shot at making famous Thai dish tom yum kung yesterday.
The organisers arranged a class for the Chinese trio to make the popular dish with Holiday Inn Resort Vana Nava's 'Chef Bem', whose full name is Amporn Choeng-Ngam.
Chef Bem later explained to the media that tom yum kung was selected on the basis of its popularity and that he was impressed by the cooking skills displayed by the three Chinese players.
