Nestled between the injury woes of the WTA Tour and events depleted of star power is a potential history-making story in Carson.
Attention will turn to Maria Sharapova at the JPMorgan Chase Open at the Home Depot Center, which starts today, and whether the 18-year-old can become the top-ranked player in the world. To do so would be historic, not only for Sharapova, but for Russia.
She would be the first Russian woman to reach the top spot, though her countrywoman Anastasia Myskina came close, hitting No. 2 last fall.
Still, supplanting Lindsay Davenport at No. 1 won't be as easy as previously thought. WTA Tour officials crunched the numbers and determined Sharapova would have to reach the semifinals and also needs to pick up 28 bonus points along the way.
Sharapova, who has not played on the tour since losing to eventual champion Venus Williams in the Wimbledon semifinals, has an opening-round bye and will face either her close friend and countrywoman Maria Kirilenko or wild card Marissa Irvin of Santa Monica in the second.
Looming in the third round could be Sania Mirza, a hard-hitting 18-year-old from India, or 16th-seeded Anna Chakvetadze of Russia, who reached the quarterfinals in Carlsbad.
The highest-seeded player in Sharapova's quarter is ninth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, who was moved into the spot vacated by No. 7 Vera Zvonareva of Russia. Additional reshuffling was required Sunday when, as expected, Zvonareva and Akiko Morigami of Japan withdrew.
Zvonareva rolled her ankle in a doubles match Saturday at Carlsbad, and later in the day Morigami retired from her singles semifinal against Ai Sugiyama because of tendinitis in her right knee.
Because Zvonareva's withdrawal came after the draw was made, there won't be a No. 7 seeding. Possible semifinal opponents for Sharapova could be third-seeded Elena Dementieva of Russia or Acura Classic champion Mary Pierce of France.
Injuries also took out defending champion Davenport (back) and two-time champion Serena Williams (ankle), who lost to Davenport in last year's final. Sharapova is coming off an injury, having pulled out of the Carlsbad tournament because of a sore back.
Play on the Stadium Court begins tonight at 7. There will be matches on the outer courts, starting as early as 11 a.m., and admission to those matches is free, according to officials. The band Bowling for Soup will be playing after the first night session match on the Stadium Court.
