U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki will begin their 2010 grass-court seasons at Eastbourne.
Clijsters celebrated her return to professional tennis following a two-year layoff with victory at last year's U.S. Open -- where the 26-year-old Belgian beat Wozniacki in the final.
She won the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award on Wednesday for her surprise victory in New York.
Following a heavy loss in the third round of this year's Australian Open, Clijsters has now set her sights on a second Wimbledon title by appearing at the south-coast tournament, which runs from June 12-19.
"I'm really excited about playing at Eastbourne, it's one of my favorite events," Clijsters said Thursday. "I won it in 2005 and can't wait to play there to come back to challenge for the title again. It's a really well-run tournament, in a laid-back atmosphere, providing the perfect preparation ahead of Wimbledon."
The fourth-ranked Wozniacki, the defending champion, won her first career grass-court title in Eastbourne last year.
"I'm really looking forward to it and can't wait to return to England for the grass-court season," the 19-year-old Dane said.
Last season was the first year Eastbourne held a men's tournament alongside the women's. It was won by Dmitry Tursunov of Russia.
SOURCE: The Associated Press
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