Tennis: Four top-20 players heading for Stanley St in January

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Dutch ace Sjeng Schalken will be thankful world No 1 Lleyton Hewitt is not coming to play the international open in Auckland this summer.

The 26-year-old Schalken is set to return to Stanley St for the January 6-11 Open and chase a second title after his win here in 1999.

Ranked 20th in the world - a career-high - his presence will give the event a star-studded and truly international look.

He joins world No 7 Jiri Novak, No 12 David Nalbandian and No 18 Fernando Gonzalez as the likely top four seeds.

Schalken, who took his ATP Tour earnings beyond US$4 million ($8 million) this year, had a tough time in coming up against Hewitt in key tournaments.

He lost to the young Australian in the third round of the French Open, the semifinals at Queens and in a gruelling five-setter, one of the year's classic matches, in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, where Hewitt won the last set 7-5.

Across the Atlantic he lost to eventual champion Pete Sampras in the semifinals of the US Open, where he collected a cool US$250,000 ($503,401).

In his only win on the Tour this year - his seventh career title - he beat Frenchman Arnaud Clement in Holland.

Schalken, who first played in Auckland in 1997, is one of the busier players on the 2002 Tour, with 28 tournaments. Novak has played 27 and Gonzalez 25.

The 22-year-old Gonzalez is regarded as one of the up-and-comers on the circuit. The Chilean began the year ranked 135, but has climbed into the top 20 with spectacular results.

He joined Marcel Rios and Jaime Fillol as the only Chileans to reach the US Open quarter-finals when he reached the last eight this year.

Ironically, his run at Flushing Meadows was ended by Schalken in yet another five-set epic.

Gonzalez, regarded as one of the hardest hitters on the Tour, won twice this year, in Chile and Italy. He reached the final of the Basel indoor championships in Switzerland where he was beaten by Nalbandian.

The full field should be known next week, but with four top-20 players in the draw and the possibility that others, including Gaston Gaudio, Sebastian Grosjean and Thai sensation Paradorn Srichaphan, could turn up (they have yet to commit to tournaments in the week leading up to the Australian Open), it promises to be the strongest field ever.

A former world No 1 who is already confirmed, Gustavo Kuerten, is in danger of not being among the eight seeds, despite a ranking of 37.

While the big names will be obvious attractions, there is the promise of a similarly strong field for the women's classic in the preceding week.

Auckland Tennis are selling season tickets which give five days/nights at the ASB Classic and the Heineken Open for between $278 and $400. Tickets go on sale for both events today.