Tennis: Erakovic teams with Black as doubles draw the fans

Marina Erakovic is renewing her successful partnership with Zimbabwe's Cara Black. Photo / AP

Most eyes at next week's ASB Classic will be on Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic but the doubles draw has the pedigree to pull some attention away from the big guns.

While the singles field of the Auckland tournament has been trumpeted as one of its strongest ever, the doubles will feature three of the world's top 10 players.

There will also be some Kiwi interest, with Marina Erakovic renewing her successful partnership with Zimbabwe's Cara Black, who last year joined Anastasia Rodionova to win the tournament.

But Erakovic and Black - who finished runners-up at three WTA tournaments in 2013 - will have their work cut out for them at Stanley St.

World No1 Roberta Vinci heads the doubles field, along with French Open champion Katarina Srebotnik and US Open champion Andrea Hlavá?ková.

Other big names in the draw could include Ivanovic, Williams, multiple Grand Slam champion Lucie Hradecka, and last year's finalist Julia Goerges.

"It's looking like we are going to have a very strong doubles field - it's by far one of the best tour-level doubles fields I've seen," said tournament director Karl Budge. "To have four of the world's top-10 doubles players in the country, let alone on the court, is an absolute coup."

Meanwhile, the singles field has been boosted by a rising star of women's tennis, with Croatia's Ana Konjuh handed a wildcard.

Konjuh, who today celebrates her 16th birthday, enjoyed wins in the singles and doubles in the Australian Open main draw in 2013, while she also took out her second junior Grand Slam title at the US Open.

That win saw Konjuh decide to compete in only professional events, despite being eligible at junior tournaments for another two years.

The world No259 also represented her nation at the Fed Cup, defeating Urszula Radwanska, and Croatia's Fed Cup captain Iva Majoli has touted the teenager as a top-10 player within the next couple of years.

"We're very excited to be able to offer Ana a wildcard into the ASB Classic," Budge said.

"She is a star in the making and we can't wait to see her take to our centre court."