Japan's Naomi Osaka will hope to retain her world number one ranking with a good performance at the Stuttgart Open ©Getty Images

World number one Naomi Osaka is set to begin as the top seed at the Stuttgart Open with the main draw of the competition due to begin tomorrow.

The competition at the Porsche-Arena could see a change at the top of the world rankings, with Osaka hoping to hold off the challenge of her rivals.

Should Japan's  Australian and US Open champion reach the final of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) event she would be assured of retaining her ranking.

Osaka will begin this WTA Premier tournament in the second round after being given a bye through the opening round of the event.

Romania’s Simona Halep and the Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitová have also received byes into the second round.

Both will have their sights on securing the world number one ranking.

Romania's Simona Halep is currently second in the world rankings ©Getty Images
Romania's Simona Halep is currently second in the world rankings ©Getty Images

Should Osaka suffer defeat in the early rounds of the competition, either player would take top spot in the rankings if they progress to the final.

With Halep and Kvitová on the same side of the draw, the pair could meet in the semi-final stage of the event.

Osaka could face the challenge of Karolína Plíšková in the semi-finals, with the Czech player having been seeded fourth for the event.

Plíškováa is the defending champion, having beaten the United States’ CoCo Vandeweghe in straight sets in last year’s final.

Competition is due take place until April 28.