By TERRY MADDAFORD
Dianne Hollands has mixed emotions at being handed a wildcard into New Zealand's biggest tennis tournament.
The overjoyed Hollands sees the chance to play in the qualifying tournament for the ASB Bank Classic as a dream come true, but she also feels sympathy for friend, playing partner and - when in Auckland - host Tanja Markovic, who missed out on the last wildcard.
Hollands, the national under-18 champion for the past two seasons, heads home to Dunedin this morning for Christmas with her family. A couple of days later, she will be back in Auckland preparing for the greatest challenge of her tennis-playing life.