Hourigan now moves to No 1 seed for today's tournament and will likely at some point meet No 4 seed and the other woman in the men's singles grade, Maria Galatescu from the Tawa Tennis Club.
Galatescu is ranked No 33 in New Zealand, although that could well be a misleading statistic.
Galatescu has only lost two of her last 17 sanctioned matches.
Many of those, however, have been in far lower grade company than Hourigan has been playing in.
Hourigan's fierce allegiance to family at this moment in time outweighs her passion to continue competing in the extremely competitive world of international professional tennis, although the global pandemic is the real enemy.
Hourigan has been home for nearly three months after a "pretty successful", although relatively short, spell on the international professional circuit.
Hourigan joined the professional ranks in late 2019 not long after the devastating, untimely death of her father Phill Hourigan in July of that same year aged just 52.
Hourigan senior was an incredibly well-liked character who had carved out a successful career as a shearing contractor before his untimely demise.
After his death, wife Tracy took over the contracting business and it quickly became a family concern with each family member playing a part.
Following a short, winning spell on the ITF Women's World Tour earlier this year where Hourigan won at least four titles, she was drawn back home to be with mother Tracy and siblings Sean, Conor, Beau and Patrick to commemorate the passing of her dad two years earlier.
"I still miss dad very much," Hourigan said.
"I came back home to be with my family and remember dad, but now I'm finding it impossible to get an MIQ spot to return home again if I go back overseas.
"I can't get back for Christmas or New Year. The shearing business is very much a family affair that helps me compete overseas, so while I'm back I'll do my bit.
"While overseas I was trying hard to earn a spot in the Australian Open and even though I won a few titles this year I haven't made it and now with the MIQ difficulties I've run out of time."
Earlier this year while on tour the 24-year-old Hourigan won the W15 Monastir singles title in Tunisia and topped the tournament off with victory in the doubles alongside Alexandra Osbourne of Australia.
She also won the W15 Sharm El Sheikh singles in Egypt and the W25 Salinas doubles in Ecuador with British partner Jodie Anna Burrage.
"This MIQ system we have here in New Zealand is heartbreaking," she said.
"The last couple of times I've tried I was in 6000th place on the list and then 11,000 – it sucks," a bitterly disappointed Hourigan said.
She said there were some getting preferential treatment and she thought the Government needed to do more for those who needed to be on the world stage to make a living.
"You can hardly blame the likes of Israel Adesanya and his fellow UFC fighters moving offshore. I would do the same if it wasn't for my close family ties and commitments."
Fellow tennis star and Olympic medallist Michael Venus is considering legal action against the Government after trying for months to return to New Zealand — only to be left frustrated with MIQ.
In response to Venus' complaint, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the Government "has taken legal advice on all aspects of its decision making throughout the pandemic".
"We're acutely aware of and acknowledge the challenges the MIQ system has created for people wanting the sort of free international travel we all enjoyed pre-pandemic. We've had to strike a balance between facilitating travel in and out of New Zealand and preventing Covid-19 from overwhelming our country, as it has many others," Hipkins said.
"As vaccination rates continue to climb, we're already working on options for the first quarter of next year to make it easier for fully vaccinated people to travel safely. We will also learn from the pilot we announced on Monday, starting this year, for a small number of fully vaccinated business employees to isolate at approved addresses.
"It is, of course, the right of any New Zealander to challenge a government decision in court."
Covid-19 has restricted Hourigan's international career, but the Whanganui-born and bred ace has not lost a sanctioned singles tennis match at home since losing 3-6 6-4 7-5 to Valentina Ivonov in the 2018 Pascoes New Zealand Tennis Championships in Auckland.
Ivonov, from Canterbury, is currently ranked No 4 behind Hourigan.
Hourigan's last wins on her home courts at the Whanganui Tennis Club in Nelson St was the coveted women's singles title at the 2020 Aotearoa Māori Championships in December last year.
Hourigan was in devastating form and followed it by winning the doubles title.
