Henin to make Kremlin Cup debut, Sharapova absent

MOSCOW, Aug 29 (Reuters) World number one Justine Henin will make her Kremlin Cup debut after being named the top seed at the Tier I tournament, local organisers said today.

The Belgian will be joined by former world number one Amelie Mauresmo of France and a host of leading Russian players, including world number four Svetlana Kuznetsova and defending champion sixth-ranked Anna Chakvetadze.

However, world number two Maria Sharapova, who took part in the 1.3 million dollars indoor tournament in Moscow in the last two years, will be absent.

''Maria and her camp have decided to skip our tournament this year,'' Kremlin Cup executive director Alexander Katsnelson told Reuters.

''They felt that because Maria did not play well here the last two times, it would be appropriate that she gives it a miss this year.'' Sharapova was forced to pull out of the Kremlin Cup with a foot injury last year and was beaten by compatriot Dinara Safina in the quarter-finals in 2005.

The Kremlin Cup will be held at Moscow's Olympic sports complex from October 6 to 14.

REUTERS TB KP1758