Hingis and Safin set to play Moscow

Organisers of the Kremlin Cup said today they expected a No 1 player for the first time in the tournament's 11-year history, Martina Hingis of Switzerland.

Organisers of the Kremlin Cup said today they expected a No 1 player for the first time in the tournament's 11-year history, Martina Hingis of Switzerland.

Organisers also said top Russian players Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov would appear next week before the hometown crowd.

Shamil Tarpishchev, chairman of the tournament board of directors and head of the Russian tennis federation, said at a press conference that the men's and women's tournaments, which begin Monday, would be held simultanously.

Previously, they were held separately with a two-week gap, which meant that the Olympic indoor stadium was booked for a month, so combining them will save the organizers money. "The idea of holding two tournaments in one week has solid grounds," Tarpishchev said.

The women's field will also have WTA No. 2 Lindsay Davenport of the United States and French No 7 Nathalie Tauziat.

The only two top ten players on the men's side are ATP No 2 Safin, winner of the US Open, and Sydney Olympic champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who is No 7.

The prize money for the women is $1,050,000 and $1 million for the men.