Tennis: Titleholder Hrbaty returning to Auckland

By DAVID LEGGAT

Auckland Tennis officials believe they are close to nailing another two top-20 players to back up a classy three-pronged opening salvo for January's international men's event.

The first three players confirmed for the Heineken Open - world No 5 Guillermo Coria, world No 13 and defending champion Dominic Hrbaty, and this year's beaten finalist, 18-year-old Spanish whizz-kid Rafael Nadal - were announced yesterday.

More names will follow in the next few weeks and the full field is likely to be finalised about the end of the month.

Tournament director Graham Pearce is confident there will be more eye-catching announcements for the January 10-15 event, which carries US$404,000 ($592,000) prizemoney.

Last January, four players then in the world top 20 headlined the Open field.

"We would certainly want to at least equal it, and obviously our wish would be to improve on it," Pearce said last night.

"In a global sport like tennis, to have any top-20 players coming down is a real plus. I am very confident that we'll get at least another one in the top 20, and maybe two."

Auckland Tennis should be delighted with their first three signings for the 50th anniversary tournament.

They provide a mix of a top-10 star, a popular defending champion, and one of the game's brightest young talents.

"We were very keen to get all of them to come and we couldn't be happier," Pearce said.

Coria will line up for a second consecutive season in the year-ending Masters Series for the world's eight top players in Houston, starting on November 13, where the players will carve up US$3.7 million.

Injury forced him to withdraw before his second-round game in Auckland last January. He vowed to return, and has been true to his word.

"To have a player of his quality confirmed is a great start to the tournament celebrations," Pearce said.

The 22-year-old Argentine won two singles titles this year, at Buenos Aires and Monte Carlo - making eight in his career - and reached the French Open final, where he was beaten by world No 1 Gaston Gaudio.

Only six players have beaten the dazzling Swiss this year - and Hrbaty, at Cincinnati in August, and Nadal, at Miami in March, are two of them.

World No 48 Nadal hit the ground running when he broke on to the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour and last year was named Newcomer of the Year by the ATP.

He won his first ATP title this year, at Sopot in Poland, and lines up for his country in next month's Davis Cup final in Seville against the United States.

Nadal is the youngest player in the world's top 50 and a spectacular shotmaker.

Hrbaty, of Slovakia, is a regular in Auckland. He will be playing here for the eighth time in nine years, which have included two quarter-final appearances, victory over Spaniard Francisco Clavet in the 2001 final, defeat in the final the following year to Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten, and victory against Nadal last January.

His 18-4 win-loss record in Auckland is unmatched in modern times and he will arrive with three titles in his pocket this year, at Adelaide, Marseille and Auckland.

Of the three wildcards into the field of 32, two will go to the best New Zealand players at a nine-player competition to be staged in Remuera between Christmas and New Year.

The third is likely to be held until shortly before the tournament in case of a late application from a top-name player.

The nine New Zealanders in that competition will also be battling for four spots in the qualifying draw.

The nine are Mark Neilsen and Simon Rea (North Harbour), Adam Thompson, Lee Radovanovich, GD Jones, Rubin Statham, William Ward (Auckland), Dan King-Turner (Canterbury) and Matt Prentice (Wellington).

Heineken Open

January 10-15

Players confirmed

Guillermo Coria

Dominic Hrbaty

Rafael Nadal