Jankovic to lead Europe

World number one Jelena Jankovic will head the field at the newly-announced World Team Challenge in Hong Kong.

Serb will front the charge at the innaugrual World Team Challenge

World number one Jelena Jankovic will head the field at the newly-announced World Team Challenge in Hong Kong. Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams will also be involved as part of their warm-up for the Australian Open. The event sees four teams consisting of three players representing Europe, Russia, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region. The format will involve both singles and doubles as teams will be placed into a semi-final draw, with the winners facing each other in the final and the losers making-up the wooden spoon. All the players have yet to be confirmed, but Serbian Jankovic will lead the Europeans, with Sharapova doing the same with the Russians. Williams will be in charge of the Americas, while Indian Sania Mirza spearheads the Asia-Pacific attack. The new tournament will replace the JB Group Classic exhibition, usually the traditional women's warm-up event before the first major of the year.