Leonard Thomas: These eight ladies mean serious business
They've shown off various colours of mascara, lipstick and rouge.
And diamond jewellery.
They've had their hair fashionably tied up, or fashionably let down.
Pumps and intimidating stilettos, smart vests, the little black dress, glamorous evening wear, glamorous smiles and English in exotic accents, it has all been on show.
Amid the heat, humidity and haze, they have dazzled off court over the last few days and, starting tonight, they will begin to really sweat, as they get down to business at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The best eight women in tennis are about to lock horns at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, and the country expects.
Never before has Singapore witnessed such a level of competition in tennis, these are women we've previously seen only in intense combat on TV or YouTube - the famous grunts of Sharapova, the hushed "oooohhh" of the crowd after a rocket-propelled forehand winner by Serena, or the stylish fist pump of Ana after winning a smartly-crafted point.
Tennis fans here have been used to one-off contests of fun and exhibition, but this is different, this is not some end-of-season jaunt to newly-hip Singapore for some friendly sport. This is serious business.
These eight women are focused on the most important prize after the four Grand Slams, we get to see the greatest exponents of the current game wield their rackets in world-class style, Singapore's young tennis dreamers will witness what it is like at the most rarified level of the sport.
World No. 1 Serena Williams is after records, aiming to become the first person to win the WTA Finals crown three times on the trot.
The American is 33 and, quite remarkably, still hungry to occupy even more space in the history books.
She is the oldest in the field, she has honed her serve to become the most vicious in the history of women's tennis and she is the most powerful athlete in the game.
The other part of her armoury is her considerable experience and I asked Williams yesterday how it helps her out on court.
"I think there's a lot of players here who have a tremendous amount of experience; there are several Grand Slam champions. I think the experience is great; it helps me to be able to win matches; helps me to be able to stay calm on the court," she said.
"That isn't my expertise, but something I'm still growing and trying to work on," she added, with a smile.
Yes, she's had some famous outbursts on court, but it hasn't prevented her from claiming 18 Grand Slam titles.
Among the field Maria Sharapova is next best with five, although after a stellar year, the Russian world No. 2 has a chance to knock Williams off the top of the rankings.
Canada's Eugenie Bouchard, at 20, is in this elite company for the first time, as is the irrepressible Romanian Simona Halep.
Czech Petra Kvitova is reborn, Serbia's Ana Ivanovic has the skip back as she continues to superstitiously avoid walking on the white lines on court.
Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska is dangerous and Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki is swinging again as a single lady.
World Sport Group (WSG), along with Sport Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board, worked hard to convince the Women's Tennis Association to make the Republic the new home of its most prestigious event for the next five years.
I remember WSG chief executive officer Andrew Georgiou telling me how important it was for the Singapore Sports Hub to secure events that will be here for a period of time, like Singapore GP's Formula 1 race, and not simply host one-off events that fail to develop a relationship with fans.
This is the Sports Hub's crown jewel.
And the best are here.
She has won the season-ending tournament four times already, but defending champion Williams still cast a long glance at the trophy when she left the podium after her press conference yesterday.
I wished her good luck when I met her later, I hope her knee has healed because Singapore will want her to be at her best.
Even if she is right, she won't have it easy, there are seven gunslingers who have their own grand ambitions.
Li Na says any of these millionaire ladies can win it.
The game is set, Singapore. Brace yourself for a special week.
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