Tennis: Late no-show good news for Baker

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The late, but not entirely unexpected, withdrawal of Spain's former world No 2 Conchita Martinez from next week's classic was good news for young New Zealander Leanne Baker.

Within minutes of the announcement yesterday that Martinez - who played a "will she, won't she" game with organisers of the ASB Classic - was not coming, tournament director Richard Palmer sought 21-year-old Baker and handed her a main draw wildcard.

Baker, in her second outing on the main draw, will play German world No 69 Martina Muller.

"It's a big opportunity," the 372nd-ranked Baker said after hitting up with fellow New Zealander Shelley Stephens on centre court. "No matter who you draw it is going to be tough."

Stephens, ranked 315, drew American up-and-comer Laura Granville in what may be one of the matches on centre court on Monday.

Organisers will have to do some hard thinking in coming up with the first-day schedule because four of the top six seeds have drawn players who will come from the 32-strong qualifying tournament.

With the last four qualifying matches scheduled for Monday, no competitors drawn to play qualifiers will play their first matches until Tuesday.

That means there will be a log-jam of seeded players in action on the tournament's second day proper.

France's Mary Pierce, the former No 3 and a star attraction, has drawn German Angelika Roesch who, at 81, is one of the lower-ranked players in the draw.

Pierce, expected in Auckland this morning, may request a Tuesday first-round game which would further strengthen that day's schedule.

Top seed and defending champion Anna Pistolesi (Israel) and second seed Eleni Daniilidou (Greece) will both sit out first-day action awaiting qualifiers, as will fourth seed and 2000 winner Anne Kremer (Luxembourg) and sixth-seeded Argentine Clarisa Fernandez.

In what promises to be the first-day feature, last year's beaten finalist Tatiana Panova - beaten 6-2, 6-2 by Pistolesi (the only sets dropped by Panova all week) - will play Vera Zvonareva in an all-Russian affair.

It will be their first WTA Tour clash.

Another Russian, Elena Likhovtseva - top seed in 2000 - faces a testing first-up encounter against last year's second seed, Henrieta Nagyova (Slovakia).

The qualifying tournament, which starts with a full schedule of 16 matches today, has drawn a strong field.

Russian Alina Jidkova, ranked 85 and a main-draw player at last season's tournament, is the top seed after missing a main-draw start by just one ranking place.

She starts against Austrian Barbara Schwartz, a regular here and former French Open quarter-finalist.

Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues, who just missed being seeded a year ago, faces qualifying this time, as does former semifinalist Marlene Weingartner (Germany).

American Kristina Brandi, the fourth seed in 2001 but on the comeback after injury, has a wildcard, as has world No 146 Tzipora Obziler (Israel).

With the qualifying cut-off at a record high of 182 - 30 places higher than last year - about 12 players who arrived in the hope of a start have missed out.

New Zealanders lke Gers and Dianne Hollands face first-round matches against Claudine Schaul (Luxembourg) and Russian Anastassia Rodionova.

Main draw (with seeds denoted by prefix numbers):

Anna Pistolesi (Israel) v qualifier, Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) v Henrieta Nagyova (Svk), Martina Sucha (Svk) v Meilen Tu (US), Jill Craybas (US) v 8 Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia), 3 Tatiana Panova (Rus) v Vera Zvonareva (Rus), Adriana Serra Zanetti (Italy) v Anca Barna (Germany), Patricia Wartusch (Austria) v Yoon Jeong Cho (Korea), qualifier v 6 Clarisa Fernandez (Arg), 7 Janette Husarova (Svk) v Cara Black (Zim), wc Shelley Stephens (NZ) v Laura Granville (US), Rita Grande (Italy) v Emmanuelle Gagliardi (Switz), qualifier v 4 Anne Kremer (Lux), 5 Paola Suarez (Arg) v Maria Camerin (Italy), Angelika Roesch (Ger) v Mary Pierce (France), wc Leanne Baker (NZ) v Martina Muller (Ger), qualifier v 2 Eleni Daniilidou (Greece).