By TERRY MADDAFORD
Luxembourg's Anne Kremer was good enough to be seeded second for the Auckland women's tennis classic this year - and she was good enough to go on and win it.
She will be back in 2001 for the January 1-6 event, but such is the standard - all eight of the seeds are in the world's top 42 - that Kremer's seeding has slipped to sixth.
Tournament director Richard Palmer is not surprised the event has attracted such a high standard.
"Last year, the millennium celebrations kept some players home, but this time we have some of the best," Palmer said. "The top seven seeds are all within the world's top 36, while our eighth seed, Zimbabwe's Cara Black, is just outside the top 40.
"The previous best was in 1996 when the seeds were all inside the world's top 44."
European players have grabbed four of the eight seedings, including the top three, with France's Sandrine Testud hoping it will be a case of second time lucky in being seeded No 1. She was top seed in 1998, but bowed out to Silvia Farina in the semifinals.
Austrian Barbara Schett is the second seed ahead of another Frenchwoman, Nathalie Dechy, who will play at Stanley St for the first time.
Fifth seed Tamarine Tanasugam, of Thailand, won the doubles here in 1998 and lost her singles semifinal to the eventual winner, Marion Maruska, a year earlier. Maruska is now struggling to make the qualifying draw.
Palmer has one wildcard to hand out and that is likely to go to Kiwi No 1 Shelley Stephens.
Seedings: Sandrine Testud (France) 1, Barbara Schett (Austria) 2, Nathalie Dechy (France) 3, Kristine Brandi (US) 4, Tamarine Tanasugam (Thailand) 5, Anne Kremer (Luxembourg) 6, Paola Suarez (Argentina) 7 and Cara Black (Zimbabwe) 8.
Tennis: Second seed only sixth this time
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