Tennis: Auckland Tennis officials setting sights high

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The success of bringing Steffi Graf and Anna Kournikova to Auckland has encouraged Auckland Tennis bosses to set their sights high in the search for players for this summer's tournaments.

Only world No 1 Serena Williams - committed to the Hopman Cup in Perth at the same time as the ASB Classic - is a definite non-starter.

Others, including her sister, Venus, and former No 1 Jennifer Capriati, are no better than longshots for the December 30 to January 4 tournament.

But, from the so-called next tier, players such as Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport and Amelie Mauresmo remain possibilities.

"I spoke to Mauresmo a number of times at the US Open and she said she would love to come back to Auckland," said tournament director Richard Palmer.

The Frenchwoman, now ranked sixth in the world, was here four or five years ago but illness ruled her out of the qualifying tournament.

Palmer spoke to a number of players and their agents and remains confident that he will assemble a worthy field for the US$140,000 tier-four tournament.

"I already have a number of emails in front of me which give some hope of attracting some good players. It is the usual thing of waiting to see who takes the bait.

"Interestingly, the players who were here last summer talked enthusiastically about the boat trip we had for them on the Waitemata Harbour," said Palmer.

"Elena Likhovtseva, who was here a couple of years ago, heard about it and said it was something different and interesting.

"At the top end of the market, you are reliant on agents putting something in front of their players. We feel with the success of our tournament in recent years, that is happening more and more now.

"We raised the bar last year and had our biggest crowds. We certainly do not want to go backwards."

Defending champion Anna Smashnova, now 19th in the world, South African Amanda Coetzer (26th) and France's Mary Pierce (49) are all possibilities.

Auckland Tennis chief executive and Heineken Open director Graham Pearce was more coy when asked about possibilities for the January 6-12 men's tournament.

"We will be looking to contract about four name or marquee players. They should be locked up by about mid-October, but we will wait until closer to the event before naming names."

Michael Chang has indicated that he is keen to return but will wait and see whether he qualifies for the Australian Open.

Greg Rusedski and Marat Safin, two of the biggest names at Stanley St last summer, are unlikely to return, having indicated that they are set to play in the Middle East and Sydney respectively.

But rising American Andy Roddick and Russian Grand Slam title winner Yevgeny Kafelnikov remain on Pearce's wish list.