Seven of the world's Top 10 players are on the entry list for the 2023 Toray Pan Pacific Open WTA 500 tournament, which begins on September 25 in Tokyo.
World No.1 and four-time major winner Iga Swiatek heads the field and will play the second event of her professional career on Japanese soil, following the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. Swiatek is joined by the two most recent Wimbledon champions, Marketa Vondrousova and Elena Rybakina, as well as 2021 Roland Garros titlist Barbora Krejcikova. Two more Grand Slam winners, Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin, are currently alternates to the main draw.
Montreal champion Jessica Pegula, Roland Garros finalist Karolina Muchova and defending champion Liudmila Samsonova are all also in the entry list. Other notable names in the field include Caroline Garcia, Maria Sakkari, Belinda Bencic and Daria Kasatkina.
The tournament is one of the longest-standing events on the Hologic WTA Tour. It was first held in 1973, when Billie Jean King defeated Nancy Richey in the final. Past champions include Martina Navratilova, Stefanie Graf, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova and Naomi Osaka.
Three Japanese players have won the event: Osaka (2019), Kimiko Date (1995) and Kazuko Sawamatsu (1974). This year, home representation will be led by Prague champion Nao Hibino. Former World No.30 Misaki Doi will also play the final event of her career here.
