2006 ASB Classic

History could be awaiting one of the five top-50 ranked Russian players who are confirmed for January’s 2006 ASB Classic featuring the Sovereign singles and doubles.

With one of the best fields ever and an initial entry list which features all eight seeds inside the top 40 WTA rankings there’s so much talent within the field that a winner is hard to pick.

Four Russians will be seeded and one other will be just outside the seedings. Currently there are eleven Russians in the top-50 and it is significant that five of them are coming to Auckland.

They are likely to be amongst the crowd favourites to win the title which would be a first as no Russian has ever won the title in Auckland. Leila Meskhi won representing the Soviet Union in 1990, but is regarded as a Georgian.

Top seed for the ASB Classic will be Nadia Petrova at No 9 followed by Russian Elena Likhovtseva at No17. Glamour girl Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia will be the third seed with a ranking of19. Fourth seed will be the third of the Russians 18 year old Maria Kirilenko at 25.

This is only the second time in the tournaments 21 year history that there have been three players in the top-20 and is a very appropriate way to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the ASB classic.