Can Elena Dementieva fend off the competition for her crown in the East West Bank Classic - or will Serena Williams grasp title No.3? Let's take a look at the competition coming in to the event . . .

Dementieva gears up for title defence: Last year's champion has had a rough time recently. A critical rib injury put the thought of retirement in the Russian girl's mind. Elena was down but not out; she made a solid return to the European clay, and scored her first title of the year in Istanbul. A current ranking of 15 is pitching her as the ninth seed. Making her first stop in San Diego, Elena is participating in every North American tournament she can get her hands on, in the lead up for the final Grand Slam of the year. Her long schedule might just be what she needs to get that serve going. Equipped with superb ground strokes and excellent speed, Dementieva is on the verge of producing big upsets.

Serena Williams takes aim for title No.3: What should have been her fourth stop is her first stop; an injury which she suffered at Wimbledon has reduced the American's plans significantly. Williams was on a major comeback this time last year and reached the semis; can she go two more better this time round? Serena has already scored big this year, with titles in Melbourne and Miami. A healthy ranking of No.8 makes her fourth seed this year. The 1999 and 2000 champion has plans to eradicate the competition and take title number three. No one in the draw fancies a clash with her as there is always the possibility that she could mentally and physically blow them away - as she has done to many others. 

Maria Sharapova craves first title of the year: After an impressive start in San Diego this week, Sharapova still wants her first title of the year. Los Angeles brought big success last year as she reached the semis. But a horrible year has inflicted injuries and humiliating defeats. If all goes well in San Diego, Maria will hold on to her world No.2  ranking and be presented with the pleasure of the No.1 seeding next week. But the ever-so-daunting question of another clash with Serena Williams still plagues our minds. Their last two encounters have left Maria in bits; her fans could only look in sorrow as their idol was being wiped out. But get ready for some sublime and excellent play from the Russian, as she is always ready for anything.

Sensational Serbians, Jankovic and Ivanovic: Jelena Jankovic will come in as second or first seed if she can perform well in San Diego.. while Ana Ivanovic checks in as No.3 seed. Both Serbians have displayed great tennis this year and will both want to take the title. Last year's finalist Jankovic has already qualified for the season-ending championships and there is hardly anyone who can match her ground strokes and backhands down the line. This time last year most people had never heard of Jelena but everyone will be aware of her excellence and determination this time round. Ivanovic has also enjoyed great success this year, including her first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros and a title in Berlin. Ivanovic made her debut last year and lost to Jankovic in the quarter-finals. An injury has caused Ana to withdraw from Stanford and San Diego, but that didn't stop her entering Los Angeles as a wildcard.

Others to watch: Hard-hitting Russian Nadia Petrova, Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova, 1998 finalist Martina Hingis from Switzerland, Russian Dinara Safina, Israel's up-and-coming Shahar Peer, French teenager Tatiana Golovin and China's Na Li. If the new rankings are not too different and there are no last-minute withdrawals, here are the seeds heading for Los Angeles: 1.Maria Sharapova, 2.Jelena Jankovic, 3.Ana Ivanovic, 4.Serena Williams, 5.Nadia Petrova, 6.Daniela Hantuchova, 7.Martina Hingis, 8.Dinara Safina, 9.Elena Dementieva, 10.Shahar Peer, 11.Tatiana Golovin, 12. Na Li . Four more women outside the top 20 will finish off the seeds.