Tennis: World No 15 confirmed for women's Classic

World No 15 Li Na has been confirmed for January's women's tennis open, with another top 20 player expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

ASB Classic tournament director Brenda Perry was delighted to have secured the Chinese star but could not confirm that Na would be top seed.

"I'm still working on other players so I actually don't know," Perry said.

"She will definitely be one of the top [seeds]."

Player recruitment had been on hold while the tournament chased former world No 1 Justine Henin but the Belgian star's decision to launch her comeback in Brisbane meant discussions were now being held with other top players, Perry said.

"We've still got some work to do but I'm pretty confident in the next couple of weeks we'll have another top 20 player [confirmed]."

With last year's beaten finalist, world No 22 Elena Vesnina, having already confirmed her intention to return, another quality field looks likely for the tournament's 25th anniversary.

Organisers will be hoping Li Na's presence will help the sport tap into Auckland's growing Asia population. Na was rated as one of China's top 10 sports stars, with the world's most populous nation boasting five million tennis players, Perry said.

"She is new and different, she's never been here, and then there is the Asian element. We're really pleased to have got her."

Na, who has two WTA titles, had a strong run of results this year, reaching two finals to maintain the top 20 status she first achieved in 2006.

The first Chinese player to win a singles title, Na reached the semifinals of the Olympics in 2008 and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2006.

She has had 14 wins over top 10 players, including taking the scalp of Serena Williams when she was ranked at No 1.

"It will be my first time in New Zealand and my husband will come too, so we are both looking forward to this," Na said.

The Chinese Government is investing heavily in the development and promotion of tennis. There are about 65,000 tennis courts in China, increasing at about 15 per cent a year since the Government announced tennis as a top priority sport.

Also confirmed for the Classic are the world No 1 doubles and multi-Grand Slam winning pair of Cara Black (Zimbabwe) and Liezel Huber (United States). Perry confirmed two of the three wildcards had been earmarked for New Zealanders Sacha Jones and Marina Erakovic. A strong run of results this month in Australia, where she won three straight ITF tournaments, has seen Jones (208) overtake Erakovic to become the country's top-ranked player.

An injury-ravaged year has seen Erakovic tumble from 49 to 240. The 21-year-old, who reached the semifinals in Auckland in 2008, made a strong return to competition this week, winning through three rounds of qualifying at a US$100,000 ($133,600) ITF event in Italy.

"It's great to be back playing a tournament," Erakovic said.