Slovakian tennis star Dominika Cibulkova touched down in HCM City on Saturday ahead of the Heineken Stars 2012 tennis tournament, which kicks off on Thursday.

Cibulkova, who will play a series of exhibition matches, said at a press conference: "I have never been to Viet Nam before, so I'm excited to be here and can't wait to see more of the country.

"I have been to places like Tokyo and Beijing several times, but they are very different from here."

Cibulkova, who flew in from Canada, will be joined by three other world-class tennis stars – Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, Gilles Simon of France and Feliciano Lopez of Spain – to play singles and doubles matches at the one-day event.

Azarenka, Simon and Lopez are expected to arrive in HCM City on Wednesday.

"I come here early to prepare for the event," said Cibulkova, who stands just 1.6m, but claims her stature hasn't stopped her meteoric rise to the top.

"I'm not tall but I'm quick on court, have good tactics and hit the ball powerfully." Cibulkova, WTA No 13, has not played well this season, failing to reach a semifinal at any Grand Slams and cited tournament overload as one of the main reasons.-VNS