Maria Sharapova (2004 Wimbledon and 2006 US Open champion) versus fellow rising Russian star Anna Chakvetadze.

Both aged 20, it will be the world No. 5 versus the world No. 6 respectively.

Official ticket pricing will be announced today, available through Sistic.

But it is understood that courtside VIP tickets will cost about $1,800, while normal tickets will range from $80 to $280.

It will certainly be one glamorous weekend involving arguably the world's most glamorous female athlete - Sharapova.

For the past two years, a Hong Kong-based tennis promoter and Singapore Tennis Association have been cracking their heads to bring a top-class tennis event to Singapore.

Be it a men's or women's event, the first priority was always to bring a top name here.

Now, the scene is set.

Lincoln Venancio is a Brazilian who is managing director of the Hong Kong-based Entertainment Group Ltd, a company with 20 years' experience in organising tennis tournaments.

He's the man behind the vision he shared with The New Paper two years ago.

The 44-year-old knew it was time for Singapore to have a major high-profile world-class tennis tournament, long before news of Formula One arriving at our doors.

There was the Heineken Open, the Honda-Kah and M1 Open in the late 1990s, but the tournaments soon ended their runs.

Which is why Venancio is sure the event he's bringing here on 30 Dec - called 'Maria Sharapova Live' - is going to awaken Singapore's long dormant professional tennis scene.

HOW SHARAPOVA SAID YES TO SINGAPORE

Last night, Venancio told The New Paper how he managed to convince Sharapova - one of the world's most sought-after athletes at public events - to say 'yes' to Singapore.

'It's very rare to get two top-ranked players together, like Maria and Anna, for a special event like this.

'If I had to sum up the winning bid for Singapore that convinced Maria to say yes, it was a combination of the venue, the city, the opponent and the timing.

'The Singapore Indoor Stadium has the capacity, and we're bringing in a medium-speed Supreme Court indoor carpet from Europe for the match.

'I believe it'll be Maria's first visit to Singapore, which she knows is sophisticated and known for its shopping and sightseeing.

'Then, there was the question of her opponent. Make no mistake, Sharapova doesn't want to treat this as a plain exhibition match.

'She takes competition seriously, and she was agreeable to Anna, whom she likes and knows is a serious challenger to her in the world rankings.

'Finally, there's the timing of the 30 Dec date. It's just before she heads to Australia to prepare for the start of the new season, with the Australian Open in January.

'So really, it's a coup for Singapore, that Maria said yes, because all the elements fell into place perfectly.

'She doesn't need to play at events that aren't anything less than world-class and competitive, and she was very active in our negotiations as to how this Singapore event would be organised.'

PACKED TWO-DAY SCHEDULE

Sharapova will arrive here on 29 Dec, play the match the next day before leaving Singapore soon after.

Her first public event will be 'An Afternoon with Maria Sharapova' - meant only for fans who purchase VIP tickets, as they can take a photograph with her and get her autograph.

Later that night, she will be at the 'Maria Sharapova Celebrity Night', with privileged guests and premium ticket-holders.

Venancio said: 'Is she really that tall? Is she really that beautiful? Is she really that glamorous? All these questions and more, these guests and fans will be able to judge for themselves at these exclusive events we're arranging.

'Because Maria has quite a full and hectic WTA (women's tennis' world body) Tour schedule, apart from her endorsement appearances, she rarely plays in special tennis matches like the one we've arranged.'

Chakvetadze will be at both pre-match publicity events too.

Gilbert Ng, STA's general manager, has been working closely with Venancio to help provide all the local links to make this vision come true.

He remarked: 'It's been a two-year journey, and we've banged on a lot of doors, so I'm grateful to the Singapore Sports Council for supporting our move.

'And in the past year, the culture here has changed. There's a lot more receptiveness to glamorous sports events.

'Hopefully, it will be the start of a process that could well see a WTA Tour event here.'

If all goes smoothly, Venancio is confident Sharapova's opinion will carry a lot of weight among ruling officials of the WTA Tour.

As he noted: 'Maria is certainly a leading ambassador of the game for the WTA, helping to give it the exposure it enjoys now, and her opinion is important.

'If she enjoys her time here, and puts in a good word for Singapore, I'm certain it will go a long way towards convincing the WTA to consider Singapore as part of its yearly Tour.'

Hopefully, the glamorous princess of tennis can help Singapore plant those seeds...

EVENT DETAILS

WHAT: Maria Sharapova Live (in Singapore)

WHEN: 30 Dec, 8pm

WHERE: Singapore Indoor Stadium

TICKETS: To be announced today, available from Sistic

FORMAT: Maria Sharapova will play Anna Chakvetadze in a Challenge Match - the best of three tie-break sets.

ORGANISERS: The event - supported by Singapore Tennis Association and Singapore Sports Council - will be organised by Entertainment Group Limited which has offices in Hong Kong, and Sports Management Group, which is based in Singapore.