Alisa Kleybanova leads the field at this week's Estoril Open. The Russian is going for her third WTA title.
Kleybanova is one of those players who always produces her best against the higher ranked players. A renowned giant-killer, the powerful Russian has scored wins over the likes of Kim Clijsters and Vera Zvonareva over the past twelve months but when it comes to opportunities like this, she rarely converts them into titles.
A wiser bet for the title may be fourth seed Anastasija Sevastova. The 21 year old is putting Latvia on the tennis map, winning her first title in 2010 and rising into the top 50.
Watch out for Russia's Elena Vesnina who made the Charleston final a few weeks ago. The tall Russian has been ranked as high as 22 in the past and it took Caroline Wozniacki to deny her landing the opening title of the clay-court swing.
Another name to keep an eye out for is Jie Zheng. A former Aussie Open and Wimbledon semi-finalist, Zheng's career has been interrupted by injury during which time her compatriot Na Li has stolen the headlines. Zheng is now fully fit again and looking to rebuild but she will be something of an unknown quantity after quite a while out of the game.
Simona Halep will be among the dangerous floaters this week. Halep reached the final in Fes last week and while this is a much stronger field, confidence can do wonders for a player's form.
