KEY POINTS:
Ellen Barry is almost certain to round out a three-strong Kiwi presence in the singles draw at the ASB Classic.
New Zealand's third-highest ranked female at 386, Barry is "99.9 per cent likely" to receive the third wildcard at the disposal of tournament director Richard Palmer.
The wildcard earmarked for Barry could still be claimed by a top-50 ranked player this afternoon, but Palmer said that was extremely unlikely to happen at this late stage.
Barry, then, will likely join Marina Erakovic and Sacha Jones in tomorrow's draw.
The presence of the Kiwi trio will be a significant step up on recent years.
In 2006, Erakovic's injury-forced withdrawal meant there were no New Zealanders in the main singles draw.
This year, with Leanne Baker a strong chance to receive a wildcard into the doubles, local interest in the tournament should be strong.
"It's great for New Zealand tennis to have these Kiwis in there," Palmer said.
Twenty-eight of the 32 slots in the field had now been filled, with Russian world No 77 Anastasia Rodionova marking the cut-off point for direct entry.
The top seed at the tournament will be Russian Maria Kirilenko, ranked 25 in the world.
Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik, ranked 26, has been pencilled in as the second seed.
Most of the players are now in Auckland, with main drawcard Lindsay Davenport due early today.
Much interest over tomorrow's draw will centre on the unseeded Davenport, who "could end up anywhere", Palmer said.
Qualifying for the final four places in the field begins tomorrow and will finish on Monday ahead of the first games of the tournament proper.
The qualifying field is headed by American Jill Craybas, a semifinalist at last year's tournament.
