Most tennis fans wouldn't expect to find wizards, orcs or elves among the aficionados at the ASB Tennis Classic. But for the crew of Box 24, which belongs to the company Commercial Plumbing, the annual tournament is as much about dressing-up as it is about tennis.
"It started in 2002 with Anna Kournikova, when we had blonde wigs," says Commercial Plumbing employee and box regular Craig Rendle.
"The next day we had KFC [Kournikova Fan Club] hats on and that's what really stuck with the public."
This year's theme - The Lord of the Rings - is a tribute to top seed Nadia Petrova.
"She decided to come here because she was a fan and wanted to see where LOTR was filmed. I figured that would do for our theme, and she's given us the big thumbs up and her autograph, which was great," Mr Rendle says.
"There's a different crew in [the box] most days, and we have a great time, which is what it's all about."
Moscow-born Petrova, 23, ranked ninth-best player in the world, beat Kristina Brandi 6-1, 6-2 in a rain-delayed quarter-final match late last night. The Russian faces Marion Bartoli of France in the semifinals today.
Meet the lords of the strings
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