New Zealand's top tennis player, Marina Erakovic, has been training steadily in Spain before a return to competitive tennis in October.
Erakovic suffered a stress reaction in her left hip in March. The 21-year-old's ranking has slipped from a high of 49 to 231, but her six-month spell on the
sidelines means she will be able to enter eight tournaments with an injury-protected ranking - expected to be around 80.
Although that ranking will be good enough to get her into most top-tier WTA Events - including one grand slam of her choice - Erakovic is expected to begin her comeback at ITF level, probably at a series of US$100,000 and US$50,000 tournaments in Spain and France.
Her plan was to gain match practice at those events using her actual ranking before making a full assault on the WTA tour using her protected ranking.
Erakovic has parted company with Netherlands-based coach Michael Schapers, switching to the Sanchez-Casal Academy operated by former Spanish professionals Emelio Sanchez and Sergio Casal.
"It is great to be back on the court and it is great to feel the body working again," she wrote on her website. "I love to play on clay and I think it is really helping me to get stronger and match-fit again."
Meanwhile, ASB Classic tournament director Brenda Perry is confident of attracting a top-class field for the event's 25th anniversary despite the unavailability of this year's champion, Elena Dementieva.
The Russian star has chosen to represent her country at the Hopman Cup but Perry is likely to have several other options in her pursuit of a top 10-ranked player.
Former champion Jelena Jankovic is currently ranked five, while Vera Zvonareva (seven), Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki (eight) and Nadia Petrova (13) all have strong links to the Auckland event.
Those rankings are likely to change after the season's final grand slam, the US Open.
"We'll have a much clearer picture of who is available and who we can pursue after the tournament," said Perry, who is at Flushing Meadows on a recruitment drive.
Men's tournament director Richard Palmer, who is also at the tournament, still hopes champion Juan Martin Del Potro will defend his title.
