Rising Argentinian tennis player Juan Martin Del Potro was today named as the final wildcard entry for next week's Heineken Open in Auckland.
Del Potro, 18, is the youngest player in the world top 100, with a current ranking of 92, slightly down on the career high 82he achieved last October.
He is noted for his flamboyant style, some big shots and an all-court game and has often been mentioned by other players as someone whose progress was worth watching.
Last year, he reached the quarterfinals of two ATP Tour events and had wins over the likes of Andrei Pavel, Juan Ignacio Chela, Robby Ginepri and Carlos Moya.
The 1.96m Del Potro comes from a sporting family. His father Daniel played rugby in Argentina.
Tournament director Graham Pearce said Del Potro would join a list of promising youngsters who had appeared in the Open down the years.
"One of the features of the Heineken Open is trying to pick young up-and-comers who we think are going on to great things in the tennis world," Pearce said.
"We have had a pretty good record so far."
Those who have appeared in Auckland before they made their name at the very top of the sport include the present world No 1 and 2, Swiss Roger Federer and Spaniard Rafael Nadal.
The two other wildcards for the Open have gone to New Zealand No 1 Dan King-Turner and 20-year-old Frenchman Gael Monfils, the world No 46.
