But for most it will simply be a case of packing the rackets and heading for the airport.
Tournaments in Sydney, Adelaide and Hobart the week after next will be these players' last chance of some match play before the Australian Open qualifiers.
"For a time we were looking at a cut-off of 197 for qualifying," said tournament director Richard Palmer. "But with a couple of late withdrawals it will probably go just over 200. Even that is unheard of in Auckland.
"These things tend to go in cycles. Last year we did not even fill the 32-strong draw for the qualifying tournament. That led to a surfeit of players coming down this year.
"Next year those same players will look at what has happened this time and probably stay away. It is a lot of travelling for nothing if you don't get to play."
It was too far for Dutchwoman Miriam Oremans, who was handed a place in the main draw after the late withdrawal of German Barbara Rittner with a shoulder injury.
Oremans, ranked 85th at the end of the 2001 season - down from a career-high 25th - was next on the entry list and entitled to direct entry. But yesterday she advised Palmer she could not get to Auckland in time.
Her place has been taken by 26-year-old Czech Kveta Hrdlickova, who holds the 86th ranking on the Sanex WTA list.
Palmer is still holding one more direct entry on the off-chance a top-ranked player might turn up this morning.
That now seems unlikely, which will give Auckland regular, and two-time WTA winner, Anna Smashnova a place in the main draw.
The 25-year-old Israeli reached 36th on the rankings last year and played all four grand-slam tournaments this year.
These late changes will give the top seeding in the qualifying tournament which starts at Stanley St today - and will find four players for the main draw - to Austrian Barbara Schwartz, who is also a regular here.
Yesterday's arrival of fourth seed Conchita Martinez ensures all but one of the eight seeded players will be on hand for the draw at 10.30 am today.
Only top seed Angeles Montolio is expected to be missing when the draw is made under the supervision of WTA officials.
Spaniard Montolio, ranked 23rd in the world and who reached the third round at Wimbledon and the US Open this year, is not due in Auckland until this morning.
That almost certainly means she will not be on court until Tuesday.
Slovakian Henrieta Nagyova, the second seed, and third seed and last year's Classic winner Anne Kremer, of Luxembourg, are already in Auckland.
Anna Kournikova remains the "dangerous floater" in the main draw.
With her ranking at 74th - her lowest end-of-year slot since her first year on tour in 1995 - the 20-year-old Russian is unseeded.
"I'm sure there will be a lot of nervous players at the draw including some seeds who would not want to play Kournikova first up," said Palmer.
"Some people have suggested we should fix the draw to ensure she gets through to the later rounds.
"It does not work like that. Everything at these tournaments is supervised - as it should be - by the WTA."
The last four matches in the qualifying tournament will be part of Monday's draw.
That ensures players drawing "a qualifier" today will not play their first-round match until Tuesday, which is already a sellout.
Night sessions are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday.
* The chances of any New Zealander progressing past the first round of the qualifying don't look promising if their opponents' rankings are anything to go by. Tracey O'Connor, the finalist in the recent New Zealand Residentials, is up against former world No 40 Schwartz.
Kiwi No 3 Leanne Baker, at 393rd, faces Dutchwoman Seda Norlander, who is 106th and a doubles finalist at Auckland two years ago.
Auckland champion Ilke Gers plays Croatian Jelena Kostanic, who has been ranked as high as 79th in the world, while national 18s champion Diane Hollands plays Czech Iveta Benesova, ranked 193rd, in her first-round match.
Former top-20 player Silvija Talaja, a winner of two singles titles, has a ranking of 109 and is not seeded in the qualifying draw, but still has plenty of potential to make the main draw.
Talaja plays eighth-seed Shinobu Asagoe of Japan.
ASB Bank Classic full coverage
First round draw
Players list and profiles
Ticket information
Anna Kournikova picture gallery
ASB Bank Classic picture gallery
Related sites
Heineken Open full coverage
Tournament information
Tournament schedule
Players list and profiles
Ticket information
TV coverage
Related sites
From the sidelines: other news related to the tournaments
