Kournikova likely for
India WTA event

India will stage a Women's Tennis Association Tour event for the first time in February next year where, among others, Russia's glamorous girl Anna Kournikova is likely to feature.

The event, scheduled to be held from February 3, is going to be a permanent fixture on the WTA calendar, a senior WTA official informed.

The 'Tier IV' tournament, with total prize-money of US$ 140,000, is being brought to India by doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi's sports management company 'Globosport'.

WTA Tour supervisor Angie Woolcock was in Bangalore on Tuesday to have a look at the city's facilities in terms of tennis infrastructure.

Woolcock told reporters at the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association, after conducting a site check of the facilities, that she would also be visiting Hyderabad and Delhi to evaluate the venues there, and one of the three would be chosen to host the mega event.

But Woolcock and a senior official of Globosport left no one in doubt that Bangalore would be the preferred venue.

"Bangalore is great. It has excellent facilities," she said.

Globosport's vice-president (mMarketing), Vinay Shenoy, said Bangalore, having already successfully played host to the ATP Doubles Championships, is the "hot favourite".

"A couple of players in the top ten have been approached and are seriously considering the option of playing in India. Mahesh is in touch with Anna (Kournikova)," he added.