KEY POINTS:
Two New Zealanders have received qualifying wildcards for next month's women's tournament in Auckland.
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 made the cut with
Auckland 19-year-old Kairangi Vano, who has a WTA ranking of 686 and is intending to compete next year on the professional tour.
Auckland's Sacha Jones (ranked at 319), who is 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.
Canterbury's Ellen Barry, ranked at 320, is unable to accept a wildcard as she is recovering from wrist surgery.
Both players were recipients of main draw wildcards this year.
Dutchwoman Michaella Krajicek, who had a year disrupted by injuries, also has a wildcard. She has a WTA ranking of 219.
Krajicek, 19, was the fourth seed at the 2008 ASB Classic. She was a Wimbledon quarter-finalist last year and has three career singles titles to her credit.
This year she was hindered with a wrist injury and also had knee surgery but still managed to score a quarter-final result at 's-Hertogenbosch in her native country 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 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 New Zealand for the first time and play in Auckland. I hear that New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and that the tournament is a fantastic venue."
Her best result in WTA play this year was reaching the quarters at the Potoroz tournament in Slovenia and winning a US$75,000 ($130,000) ITF tournament.
The ASB Classic will be played at the ASB Tennis Centre from January 5-10, with qualifying on January 3-4.
