Tennis: Prodigy for Auckland

By TERRY MADDAFORD

German-born Croatian tennis player Mirjana Lucic, the youngest player to win an Australian Open title and the last player to lose to Steffi Graf, has been handed an early chance to rekindle her flagging career in Auckland.

In a surprise announcement, ASB Bank Classic director Richard Palmer yesterday confirmed that the talented 18-year-old has been handed a wildcard into the main draw for the January 1-6 tournament.

"Wildcards are not usually announced until days before the tournament," said Palmer, "but I felt this opportunity was too good to miss."

Palmer has also lured world No 24 and regular visitor Barbara Schett and hopes to announce two top-20 players in coming weeks.

"The standard for this tournament will be much higher than we had this year and will be among the strongest we have ever had," he said.

Lucic, regarded with Venus and Serena Williams and world No 2 Lindsay Davenport as being among the hardest-hitting players on the Sanex WTA Tour, was the youngest player in history to win a title at the Australian Open when she partnered current world No 1 Martina Hingis to win the 1998 women's doubles.

After bowing out to Graf in the semifinals at Wimbledon last year, Lucic has battled injury and personal problems, which took her ranking outside the top 200.

It was problems with her father which led to her decision to move to the United States.

Extremely grateful for the opportunity afforded by Palmer, Lucic sees the Auckland tournament as the chance she needs to relaunch her career.

"My career stalled in 2000," said Lucic.

"I had to sort things out. I'm really pleased to have the chance to play in Auckland. On my only two trips to New Zealand, I haven't left the airport."

As well as her Australian Open success, Lucic has won two singles and two doubles titles on the WTA Tour.

Schett, the Austrian-born and based 24-year-old returns as one of the favourite players of the Stanley Street faithful.

Winner of the doubles in 1998 with Italian Silvia Farina and a beaten singles semifinalist in the same year, Schett had a season-high ranking of seven in 2000.

She is aiming to be back among the top 20 before January's tournament.

In the 1999 United States Open, Schett lost to Venus Williams in the singles quarter-finals and, with Mary Pierce, to the Williams sisters in the doubles semifinals.

Elena Likhovtseva, the top seed in Auckland this year and ranked just outside the top 20, remains on Palmer's shopping list.

So does Zimbabwean Cara Black, who lost the 2000 final to Anne Kremer but won the doubles title with Alexandra Fusai. Black is ranked No 42.