One of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s toughest competitors, Jie Zheng, will be heading to Hobart this January to contest the Moorilla Hobart International.
After an injury plagued 2007, Zheng has rebounded in 2008 capturing the attention of the tennis world at Wimbledon in June when she defeated then World No.1 Ana Ivanovic in the third round.
A former winner of the Moorilla Hobart International, Zheng is the second top-25 player to be announced in the draw, joining world No.14 Patty Schnyder.
“Having two players ranked inside the top 25 is a huge boost for the event,” Moorilla Hobart International Tournament Director, Michael Roberts said.
“With five days to go before entries close the playing field is set to provide fans with a week of fantastic competition. ”
Coming into Wimbledon as a wild card recipient ranked 133 in the world, Zheng became the first Chinese woman tennis player to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament, and the first to dispose of a world No.1 player.
Proving her newly found form was more than just a one-off, Zheng went on to record a second victory over Ivanovic in September at the China Open, where she also marched past world no.10 Agnieszka Radwanska.
“Zheng has had an outstanding year on the tour and has really come of age,” Roberts said.
“She has come a long way since winning the tournament here in 2005 and everyone is looking forward to watching her play again.”
Reaching a career high 23 in the world in October, Zheng finished the year ranked 25 and is currently enjoying a well deserved break before commencing her 2009 rankings campaign in Hobart on 9 January 2008.