One of the strongest fields to date will compete at this week's Bendigo International Pro Tour.
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With the first grand slam of the 2020 season only a few moanths away, the players will all look to gain valuable International Tennis Federation points at the event to make it into the top 100 players to increase their chance of making it into the Australian Open.
"A lot of the players this week will play their hardest to try and jump up the ranks before the Australian Open," tournament director Dan O'Neill said.
"There are quite a few Australian girls who rank between 100-200 and also a big contingent of Japanese players who are also out here for the tournament.
"They are all hoping for a spot in the Open by boosting their ranking, so we have a very exciting week ahead."
One Australian player to watch will be defending champion and top seed Priscilla Hon who returns to the tournament.
"It's always great to have the defending champion in action at tennis tournaments," O'Neill said.
"Put Priscilla together with some of the Victorians such as Destanee Aiava and we're set for a jam-packed line-up of some very exciting tennis."
Hon defeated Ellen Perez (AUS) 6-4 4-6 7-5 in the 2018 final and then went on to have a strong year including performances in three of the four annual international grand slams.
Another player in the field is 25-year-old Sydneysider Abbie Myers who will take on Hon in the first round.
Myers previously won back-to-back doubles championships at the Bendigo event.
"In the lead-up to the tournament I've won two doubles titles (Cairns and Toowoomba) and made the finals in Darwin and quarter-finals in Brisbane," Myers said.
"I'm really confident and excited to be here this week."
One unfortunate last-minute cancellation was Ballarat player Zoe Hives who pulled out of the tournament due to sickness.
"I've played in Bendigo for years and in the past loved going there for a hit with Eliza Long," Hives said.
"Bendigo is like my local tournament as there's nothing like it in Ballarat.
"I was really looking forward to the tournament as there were a lot of seeded Australians playing."
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