Week #28 preview: Budapest, Palermo

Budapest (HUN), Tier III, $175,000
After the grass season, some small red clay tournaments will take place across Europe. The most important is this Tier III held in Budapest, where local favourite and 1st seed Agnes Szavay will try to take the title. But it won't be easy, as 2nd seed, French teen sensation Alize Cornet, who had a fantastic clay season highlighted by a runner-up place in Rome, will look for her first career title. Czech Lucie Safarova, Iveta Benesova, Klara Zakopalova and Petra Kvitova, Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova and Romanian Sorana Cirstea should be also taken into account. Former Top 20 Anna Lena Groenefeld makes her comeback to a WTA Tour event after a big slump in 2007 and some months out of the Tour.

Palermo (ITA), Tier IV, $145,000
Although she's not Italian, Spanish Anabel Medina feels like home at Palermo. She has got 4 of her 8 WTA titles there (2001, 2004, 2005 and 2006) and this year she will try to get the fifth. Another serious contenders are 1st seed and local favourite Flavia Pennetta and Spanish youngster Carla Suarez, who surprisingly reached the quarter-finals in las Roland Garros.