Tennis queen Anna Kournikova will add a healthy slice of glamour when she joins a host of international celebrities in Doha today (Friday) at the 2008 Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Presented by Dolphin Energy.

Kournikova, who retired from the ladies’ tour in 2003, has jetted in with Bollywood stars Shilpa Shetty and Bipasha Basu, singer and actress Natalie Imbruglia, actor Omar Sharif and US sprinter Carl Lewis when the second round of the PGA European Tour tees up at Doha Golf Club today.

Like the six celebrities who played in the pre-event Rolex Pro-Am, Kournikova has accepted an invitation from title sponsors Commercialbank and is sure to be as great an attraction for sports fans as the likes of golfers Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott.

Although she never won a singles tournament, 26 year-old Kournikova did claim two Australian Open ladies doubles titles with Switzerland’s Martina Hingis in 1999 and 2002, while her celebrity status made her one of the best known tennis players worldwide.

Andrew Stevens, Group CEO of Commercialbank, title sponsors of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Presented by Dolphin Energy, said the celebrity invites will take the tournament to an even greater audience. ”Thanks to the success of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters and the Qatar Masters tennis tournament, more and more people have become aware of the city of Doha and what Qatar has to offer in terms of sporting attractions,” he said.

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“The city’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics is a bold and visionary move that we aim to showcase to our celebrity guests like Anna Kournikova.”

With $2.5 million in prize-money, the 2008 Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Presented by Dolphin Energy, is the richest event in the eleven years the PGA European Tour has been visiting the Gulf state.

As well as former champions Scott, Henrik Stenson, Paul Lawrie, Rolf Muntz, Joakim Haegmann and Andrew Coltart, other stars vying for the Mother of Pearl Trophy are former US Open Champion Michael Campbell and European Ryder Cup stars Luke Donald, Colin Montgomerie and Lee Westwood.

Kournikova and the other international icons from the worlds of sport and entertainment have been invited to Doha Golf Club as part of the celebrations around the eleventh staging of the event where entry to the public is free of charge.