"We posed challenge towards other duos four years ago, but now the situation is reversed. Zheng/Yan is under the spotlight while other players are lurking around, so the competition will be a hard-fought one."

Zheng and Yan are looked at as the heaviest favorites of China in tennis event and the host country also need them to fuel the medal drive to charge the top of the medal tables.

Chuang Chia-Jung and Chan Yung-Jan from Chinese Taipei, ranked seventh and eighth separately in the doubles, are the most consistent duo in the top 20 doubles players. The Taipei duet, who kept a 3-0 record over Zheng and Yan in 2007, will be expected to cause trouble for the Chinese contingent.

"It was not only the Chinese Taipei team, many other teams are hard to beat. It's possible for anybody to win the doubles title."

The doubles event has a 32-team field with America's Williams sisters and Lindsay Davenport/Liezel Huber, Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova/Dinara Safina and Elena Vesnina/Vera Zvonareva, and Spain's Medina Garrigues/Ruano Pascual also eyeing the medals.

Source: Xinhua