By TERRY MADDAFORD
The big names just keep coming for organisers of this month's women's international.
While the singles draw is more or less settled, the doubles are throwing up some top-line players, which has given real impetus to the often-shunned back-up act.
Argentine Paola Suarez, the world's No 1-ranked doubles player, has confirmed her entry but not a playing partner.
No stranger to the ASB Tennis Centre, she lost last year's singles final to American Meilen Tu.
Suarez heads Down Under in top form. Already this year she has won the Australian and French Open doubles with regular partner Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain. They also reached the Wimbledon final.
The pair rate as the world's best. They lost in the 2000 semifinals here.
Suarez has won 25 WTA doubles titles.
Slovakian Janette Husarova, who won the ASB Classic doubles in 1997 with the now-retired Dominique Van Roost, is ranked fifth on the doubles chart after she and Elena Dementieva won the season-ending doubles championship.
Husarova will also play singles, in which she is the seventh seed.
Cara Black of Zimbabwe and Russian Elena Likhovtseva, beaten by Husarova/Dementieva in that doubles championship, have already confirmed their entry.
Likhovtseva has won 19 doubles titles, Black 10. They were runners-up in the 2000 US Open. Black and French player Alex Fusai won in Auckland earlier that year.
Tournament organiser Richard Palmer is hoping Spaniard Conchita Martinez, with 10 doubles titles, will also play doubles.
Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik, who has confirmed her entry, has won five times on the WTA Tour, often with regular partner and fellow countrywoman Tina Krizan.
Liezel Horn, who won this year's doubles with American Nicole Arendt, will return but will have to find another partner.
Palmer said the door could still be open for one or two New Zealanders to play doubles as he is holding two wildcards into the main draw and one for qualifying.
With no top doubles combinations, New Zealanders could find themselves playing with overseas partners.
The draw for the doubles will be made on December 29, the day before the tournament proper starts.
Tennis: Something to make a real racquet about
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