New Zealand men's tennis No 1 Dan Willman has been confirmed as a wildcard entry in next month's Heineken Open in Auckland.
The 26-year-old had an impressive rise up the world rankings this year, starting around 1000 and peaking at 356 at the start of this month.
In 20 tournaments this year, he reached four singles finals on the Futures Tour and won at the $US15,000 ($36,558) event in Edinburgh. He also won two doubles events.
Tournament director Graham Pearce said he was pleased to have the North Harbour player in the draw, saying his all-round game should impress the crowds.
