The 2018 Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open opened here on Sunday evening with a grand ceremony held on center court at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center.

Germany's No. 3 seed Angelique Kerber was on hand to officially open the WTA-sanctioned Wuhan Open, which runs until next Saturday.

The ceremony began with a fusion of the traditional and the modern, with China's famous lion dance accompanied by dance music and a light show.

Proceedings then turned to showcase Wuhan's recent history as a hub for technical industry and innovation, as a collection of miniature robots danced in carefully choreographed unison on center court.

There was also a nod to Wuhan's next generation, with a group of schoolchildren joining in for the final musical number before Kerber and event organizers declared the tournament open.

First run in 2014, this is the fifth edition of the Wuhan Open, which is set to run until 2028. Along with Montreal, Rome, Cincinnati and Doha, Wuhan is one of the Premier 5 events on the WTA circuit. The tournament carries a total purse of 2.7 million dollars, and awards the winner 900 WTA points.