The four qualifying wildcards for the 2009 ASB Classic featuring the Kia Motors Singles and Doubles have been confirmed with two New Zealanders making the cut.
These will be the only two Kiwis receiving singles wildcards in either main draw or qualifying.
Auckland’s Sacha Jones (ranked at 319) who is currently at her Florida base has declined the offer of a main draw spot.
“I have decided that I want to continue working on my game and finish my six week strength and conditioning block as I really feel it will set me up for 2009,” says Jones.
Meanwhile Canterbury’s Ellen Barry who is ranked at 320 is unable to accept a wildcard as she is still recovering from wrist surgery.
Both players were recipients of main draw wildcards in 2008.
Di Hollands who has dominated the recent New Zealand Money Tournaments where she won all five titles including the New Zealand Residentials last week has earnt herself an automatic ASB Classic wildcard into qualifying.
Hollands, 25 has played for the New Zealand Fed Cup team in the past and is looking towards playing a full year on the international circuit in 2009.
Also gaining a place in the January 3-4 qualifying tournament is Auckland 19-year-old Kairangi Vano who has a current WTA ranking of 686 and is intending to compete in 2009 on the professional tour.
Dutchwoman, Michaella Krajieck who had a year disrupted by injuries is on the comeback and is the recipient of one of the four qualifying wildcards. She has a current WTA ranking of 219.
Krajicek who is still 19 has been ranked as high as 30 in the world and was the fourth seed at the 2008 ASB Classic. She was a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2007 and has three career singles titles to her credit.
In 2008 she was hindered with a wrist injury and also had knee surgery but still managed to score a quarterfinal result at ‘s-Hertogenbosch and won the doubles title at the same event with Kiwi, Marina Erakovic.
The fourth wildcard goes to Croatian 17-year-old Petra Matic who is rated as one of the world’s young players to watch. She is coached by Zoltan Kuharszky who has assisted Ana Ivanovic, Anke Huber and other top players in their careers.
"I am so excited to come to NZ for the first time and play in Auckland. I hear that NZ is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and that the tournament is a fantastic venue.
I'm a big fan of Lord of the Rings that I hear was filmed there so not only am I so thankful to the tournament for the opportunity to play there but also I’m excited to experience New Zealand as a country for the first time,” said Matic.
Her best result in WTA play in 2008 was reaching the quarters at the Potoroz tournament in Slovenia and won a US$75,000 ITF tournament as well.
The current cutoff for qualifying for the 2009 ASB Classic is a ranking of 165.
The ASB Classic will also feature on-court coaching for the first time as part of an initiative on Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.
The tournament will once again feature audio and video podcasting as well as live scoring.
The ASB Classic featuring the Kia Motors Singles and Doubles will be played at the ASB Tennis Centre January 5-10, with qualifying January 3-4.
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