A bunch of Italians and Czechs lead the way as the Budapest Grand Prix kicks into gear down by the banks of the Danube River.
Veteran Roberta Vinci is the top seed this week, going for her third title of the season. There seems to be a trend among Italian players in getting better with age. Just look at Francesca Schiavone. Vinci is no exception, cracking the top 30 for the first time after picking up two titles so far this season.
Her long time doubles partner Sara Errani is also in the hunt this week. Errani is seeded second but she has not won a title since 2008. Can she finally break that streak this week ?
Czech tennis is at an all-time high right now after the glorious success of Petra Kvitova in winning the Wimbledon title at the weekend. It will be fascinating to see whether that rubs off on the likes of Klara Zakopalova and Lucie Hradecka this week. Hradecka picked up the French Open doubles title last month but is still awaiting her first singles title on tour.
Home fans have been spoilt over the past couple of years with local heroine Agnes Szavay winning the title both times. However Szavay is sidelined by injury this year and Hungarian fans just have a handful of wildcards to get behind.
