The final guaranteed spot in the ASB Classic field has been filled by a former French Open winner.
Italy's Francesca Schiavone has been handed the last wildcard for this summer's tournament, bringing to 10 the number of grand slams won by women set to compete at Stanley Street.
Schiavone in2010 became Italy's first grand slam champion when she defeated Australian Sam Stosur at Roland Garros, backing up that breakthrough performance by again making the final the following year.
Alongside ASB Classic second seed Sara Errani, the former world No 4 has been the rock in the champion Italian Fed Cup team for the past decade, winning the prestigious crown in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013. She is Italy's most successful ever Fed Cup player and has also captured six WTA career titles.
Schiavone, one of the most experienced players on the WTA circuit, reached the semifinals of Hong Kong and Baku in 2014, as well as the quarter-finals in Istanbul.
"Francesca adds a lot of class to the 2015 field," said tournament director Karl Budge. "She is a grand slam champion, as well as a former top 10 player. She will be a dangerous floater in the main draw."
In addition to Schiavone, other grand slam winners playing at January's event include Venus Williams (5x Wimbledon, 2x US Open) and Svetlana Kuznetsova (French Open, US Open), while world No 8 Caroline Wozniacki will be the tournament's top seed.
