Tennis: World's top doubles players coming here

By TERRY MADDAFORD

Confirmation that the world's top doubles pairing, Paola Suarez and Virginia Ruano Pascual, will team up and use the ASB Classic doubles as their final build-up to this month's Australian Open has delighted tournament organiser Richard Palmer.

"I can't recall ever having the world's No 1 pairing here," said Palmer yesterday. "It is huge to have players like them playing together.

"They will, of course, be the top seeds but that doesn't guarantee they will win. We only have to look back to last year to see that."

In last year's doubles, final top seeds Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) and Cara Black (Zimbabwe) were upset by unheralded Americans Teryn Ashley and Abigail Spears 6-2, 2-6, 6-0.

Ashley is back this year but, unlike last year when she could not get into singles qualifying, she has a guaranteed main draw spot after winning a "feed-in" tournament in Pittsburg.

She will have to find a different partner this time, as will Black.

"There seems to be more and more interest in doubles," said Palmer. "We have had some good pairings in recent years."

Black is a former doubles winner, having paired with Alexandra Fusai to win in 2000.

The pressure will be on Suarez. She goes into singles and doubles as top seed but aware the last player to complete that double here was South African Elna Reinach in 1992-93.

New Zealand have three chances in doubles.

Sisters Eden and Paula Marama have been handed a wildcard into the main draw.

Palmer has also rewarded Ilke Gers for her good year on the doubles circuit with a wildcard into Sunday's qualifying. Gers has yet to name her partner.

Four pairs will play on Sunday in a "pro set" first to eight points, with the two winners to play off in a three-set match for one spot in the 16-strong doubles draw.

The last New Zealander to win in Auckland singles or doubles was Julie Richardson, who with an American partner won the doubles in 1986-87. In earlier years Evonne Goolagong won the doubles title four times, once with fellow Australian great Margaret Court.