Marina Erakovic might find herself buttonholed in the players' changing rooms at the WTA tournament in Luxembourg today by a couple of impending visitors to Auckland.
The field for the US$225,000 ($366,000) Fortis Championships starting today includes No 50-ranked Erakovic, as well as ASB Classic top seed, RussianElena Dementieva, and the second star attraction for the January event, blonde Danish 18-year-old Caroline Wozniacki.
The teenager is world No 15 and has a chance to start the Classic as second seed, unless tournament officials nab another player a few spots higher in the rankings.
But Wozniacki is a plum signing. She began the year as world No 60 and has bagged three WTA singles titles this year - Stockholm in July, New Haven in August and the Japan Open last month - enabling her to rocket up the rankings.
"I feel this will be the ideal preparation for the Australian Open later in the month," Wozniacki said.
"I'm really looking forward to this opportunity and hope to play some great tennis at the tournament."
Wozniacki was being chased by other rival tournaments and is highly regarded as a future grand slam title contender.
That would make her the latest of a number of, primarily male, future grand slam champions to play in Auckland early in their careers, notably Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Goran Ivanisevic, Pat Rafter, Michael Stich, Gaston Gaudio, Marat Safin, Thomas Johansson, Amelie Mauresmo and Conchita Martinez.
Erakovic will be aiming to end a dreadful run of first-round singles defeats since making the third round at Wimbledon in July.
Since Wimbledon, Erakovic has lost seven successive first-round matches, all but one to players ranked below her, some more than 100 places lower.
