Russian tennis star Ekaterina Makarova hopes to make an impact at this year's Kremlin Cup after years of underachieving at her home tournament.
The 29th-ranked player, a quarterfinalist at the Australian Open this year, has not been past round two in three attempts in Moscow.
"I really like this tournament, but I don't play too well at it," the 24-year-old Muscovite said in comments to the Kremlin Cup website.
"So I hope that this year I'll have a bit more luck and go further than the first round," she said. "It's always good to put in a decent performance at home."
Makarova is seeded 12 at this year's event, which starts October 15.
Australia's world No. 7 Sam Stosur heads the list of entrants. Sara Errani of Italy and Marion Bartoli of France make up the top three.
Maria Kirilenko is the top-seeded Russian at No. 4.