This year's Italian Women's Internationals is set to host 18 of the top 20 tennis players in the WTA circuit.
The group of players competing in the May 15-21 event include the WTA's Number 1 Amelie Mauresmo of France, last year's winner here who this year won the Australia Open, as well as Number 2 Kim Clijsters of Belgium, the winner of nine WTA tournaments in 2005 including the US Open.
Also playing will be Russia's Maria Sharapova, who recently won Indian Wells, Mary Pierce of France, Russians Nadia Petrova and Elena Dementieva, and last year's surprise finalist Patty Schnyder of Switzerland.
Italy will field its top player Francesca Schiavone, Number 10 in the WTA rankings, along with Flavia Pennetta, Roberta Vinci and Mara Santangelo. Other international players taking part include Russia's Svetlana Kutnetsova and American Venus Williams.
The only two players in the WTA Top 20 not coming to Rome are American Lindsay Davenport, who does not excel on clay, and Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium. They also skipped the event last year.
Aside from the May 6-21 men's Rome Masters Series, open to the top 50 players, the Italian capital this year will again host the seniors Tour of Champions, May 13-16, with eight stars from the 1980s and '90s.
Group A will include John McEnroe, Thomas Muster, Emilio Sanchez and Renzo Furlan; while Group B is made up of Goran Ivanisevic, Sergi Brugera, Henri Leconte and Claudio Mezzadri.
