KEY POINTS:
New Zealand tennis fans won't have to wait long for their first glimpse of Lindsay Davenport.
The former world No 1 and tournament drawcard will be second up on centre court when the ASB Classic gets under way in Auckland today.
The tournament will kick off with sixth
seed Tamari Paszek taking on Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer, followed by Davenport against fellow American Laura Granville.
The unseeded Davenport dodged the seeds in round one but has a tough road thereafter in the bottom half of the draw.
If she gets past Granville she could face fifth-seeded Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues in the second round and then a potential quarterfinal against fast-rising Dutch teenager Michaella Krajicek.
Should she overcome those hurdles, second seed Maria Kirilenko could be waiting in the semifinal.
Paszek, who has been in New Zealand since early December, could also be a factor.
The 17-year-old has a current ranking of 41 and already has a WTA career title to her credit, which she won when she was just 15.
Davenport said she was beyond worrying about whom she faces.
"I don't really worry about those things any more. It's unfortunate I'll play one of the few Americans in the draw [in the first round]."
The 61st-ranked Granville probably shares those sentiments.
Davenport and Granville have played twice previously, with Davenport winning 6-4, 6-0 at both the 2004 Australian Open and at Indian Wells in 2006.
The draw has thrown up vastly different assignments for New Zealand's two main hopes, Marina Erakovic and Sasha Jones.
The 17-year-old Jones will play her first match in a WTA event against top seed and world No 22 Vera Zvonareva.
Erakovic, New Zealand's top-ranked player at 153, should at least make the second round for the third time in four years after drawing fellow Kiwi wildcard Ellen Barry.
Erakovic had mixed feelings after drawing Barry, who has a ranking of 387.
"In one way it's a good draw but in other ways it's not so easy," Erakovic said.
"I just thought it was a joke when I first heard about playing her. People might not know who to root for but it's a bonus for the crowd that there's definitely going to be a Kiwi in the next round.
"You have to look at it as just another opponent. It's really just the luck of the draw."
The Erakovic-Barry clash is scheduled for tomorrow.
If Erakovic progresses as expected she will face either American Ashley Harkleroad or eighth-seeded Frenchwoman Emilie Loit in the second round.
* TODAY'S SCHEDULE
Centre court(from 11am)
Prefix numbers denote seedings
6 Tamaira Paszek (Austria) v Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) followed by Lindsay Davenport (US) v Laura Granville (US), 3 Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) v Anastasia Rodionova (Russia), 5 Anabel Medina Garrigues v Nicole Pratt (Australia) followed by doubles, Marina Erakovic (NZ)/Michaella Krajicek (Netherlands) v Sacha Jones (NZ)/Ahsha Rolle (US).
Court four (start 10.30am)Qualifying, final round, Shuai Zhang (China) v Lilia Osterloh (US), Vesna Manasieva (Russia) v Mariya Koryttseva (Ukraine), followed by (not before 2pm), singles, Ashley Harkleroad (US) v 8 Emilie Loit (France), Meilen Tu (US) v Klara Zakopalova (Czech Rep) and (not before 4pm), Akiko Origami (Japan) v Yvonne Meusburger (Austria).
Court six (start 10.30am)Qualifying, final round, Melanie South (Britain) v Elena Baltacha (Britain), Naomi Cava Day (Britain) v Ahsha Rolle (US), followed by (not before 3pm), doubles, Martina Muller (Germany)/Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Czech Rep) v Eva Trinova (Czech Rep)/Marie-Eve Pelletier (Canada).