KEY POINTS:
Tennis officials are optimistic they can maintain the quality of the field put out for last week's men's international tournament.
Four top-20 players lined up in the Heineken Open, with two in the top 10 - No 7 and beaten finalist Tommy Robredo of Spain and No 9 Croatian Mario Ancic.
For the first time, all eight seeds were ranked inside the world's top 30.
Tournament director Graham Pearce would like those numbers to be a fresh benchmark for what has become a successful and popular event on the ATP circuit, but he cautions against getting over-excited just yet.
"We've set a standard we'd like to try and maintain, but you need to be realistic," he said yesterday after the delayed doubles final was over.
"I'm not sure it's realistic to get top-10 players every year, but if we can, obviously they're a bonus. The aim is four top-20 players backed up by very solid players underneath them."
The Open final was contested by two of the top-three ranked players - Robredo and No 14 David Ferrer - just as the ASB Classic women's event a week earlier had been fought out between the first and fifth seeds, world No 12 Jelena Jankovic and No 34 Vera Zvonareva.
When two of the best players in the field progress to finals, therefore justifying their seedings, it increases the chances of quality finals - the memories which linger in the mind.
Pearce pointed out most of the world's top 20 players have played in Auckland at some point in the last few years.
A handy trivial pursuit question would be identifying the two future-world No 1s who squared off on a back court in the first round of the 2000 Open: Spain's 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero and nine-times grand slam winner and current top player Roger Federer.
Pearce wants to maintain the standard of field the Open has produced in the past couple of years, with the aim a mix of new, familiar and up-and-coming names.
Pearce reckons this was among the best Open tournaments, if the rain which washed out Tuesday and caused problems on semifinal Friday is forgotten.
On Thursday, players doubled up to get through second-round and quarter-final matches on a clammy day before bumper crowds.
"That Thursday would be one of the best days we've ever had here," Pearce said.
He is confident the tournament will produce a sound financial result.
