Tennis: Auckland tournament is Marion's mecca

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Marion Maruska will be hoping for more of the same when she steps on to the court for the first qualifying round of the Auckland women's international tennis tournament today.

Three years ago, ranked just inside the world's top 150, Maruska not only went through qualifying for the ASB Bank Classic but went on to beat Anke Huber in the final for her only victory in 12 years on the WTA Tour.

As the only former winner in the draw for the new-millennium tournament, the 27-year-old Austrian might have expected some favours. Not so.

With a ranking now of 161, Maruska missed a place in the main draw of the $US110,000 tournament and is not among the eight seeds for the 32-strong qualifying tournament.

She missed a wildcard into the main draw. Those went to Kiwis Leanne Baker and Rewa Hudson and to the next highest-ranked WTA player, Pavlina Nola, who as Pavlina Stoyanova, has played here before and recently married New Zealander Grant Nola.

As tournament director, Richard Palmer has a say in who receives two of the wildcards - those handed to the New Zealanders - the other is simply a WTA matter.

Maruska's win in Auckland remains her only WTA Tour success and helped her to a career-high 50th on the end-of-year rankings in 1997.

Four New Zealanders have also been given wildcards into the qualifying tournament which will fill the last four places in the main draw.

Shelley Stephens (Otago), Niki Tippins (Canterbury), Tracey O'Connor (Auckland) and former South African (now Aucklander) Ilke Gers have, however, avoided each other in the 32-place qualifying draw but Gers and O'Connor could meet in the second round.

The first and second rounds of qualifying will be played today and tomorrow. The last eight will play off on Monday with the four winners going into the main draw.

They will play their first round games on Tuesday.

Maruska will play sixth qualifying seed Vanessa Webb (Canada) in the second game on court one around midday today.

The leading seed in the qualifying draw, Julia Abe (Germany) will play fellow German Adriane Barna in the fourth match on court one.

Top seed for the Classic is Russian Olympic and Fed Cup player Elena Likhovtseva who comes to Auckland with a top-20 ranking.

Anne Kremer (Luxembourg) is the second seed ahead of Spaniard Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo who has moved up one following the withdrawal of Sarah Pitowski (France). Barbara Schwartz, who reached the fourth round of the 1999 French Open, is the fourth seed.

"We have players coming to Auckland who have beaten the likes of Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Monica Seles and 1999 ASB Bank Classic winner Julie Halard-Decugis," said Palmer. "I'm confident the best overall tennis for years will be played at Stanley St in this tournament."

The winner of the singles will win $US16,000 of the $110,000 purse - a tournament Palmer says is the richest women's sporting event in New Zealand and the longest-running (at 15 years) fourth-tier event on the WTA calendar.

Play in the tournament proper - singles and doubles, with the draw to be made today - starts on Monday.

There will be evening sessions on Tuesday and Thursday, when a singles quarter-final and doubles semifinal will be played. The singles semifinals and remaining doubles semifinal will be played on Friday with both finals scheduled for Saturday afternoon.