By Chris Davies
February 9 2004

Kim Clijsters heads a under-par Open Gaz de France due to the late withdrawals from former winners Amelie Mauresmo and Serena Williams Mauresmo who pulled a back muscle at the Australian Open has not fully recovered and Serena who had knee surgery in August 2003 has still not fully recovered.

One big shock for the tournament is the return of Sanderine Testud who retired 2 years ago during Wimbledon when she found out she was pregnant. She plays Daniela Hantuchova which could be a huge embarassment for the Slovakian and lot of extra added pressure whose season is starting to pick up slowly.

The Australian Open runner-up, Clijsters, will face competition from Dokic, Dementieva and Schnyder. Eventhough the top names are not here this will still be a test for the world number 2 and her ankle injury which may need surgery to repair.

Other players taking part include Mary Pierce who faces compatriot Nathalie Dechy in the first round and 16 year old Tatiana Golovin who faces Anna Smashnova-Pistolesi who she conquered at the Australian Open last week.