Week #23 preview: Birmingham

Birmingham (GBR), International, $220,000
Grass season leading to Wimbledon starts with this International tournament in Birmingham. After her comeback in Warsaw and her quarter-finalist place in Roland Garros, Maria Sharapova will be the biggest attraction and main favourite for the title. Chinese Jie Zheng and Na Li, Estonian Kaia Kanepi and Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak are the top seeds, although grass tournaments are always full of upsets. Veterans such as Tamarine Tanasugarn, Severine Bremond or Roberta Vinci usually perform well on grass, so they should be taken into account, as well as British players.