After a day of upsets yesterday, two of the three remaining seeds at the ASB Classic cruised into the quarter-finals today, while Venus Williams survived a tough three-setter.

Last year's beaten finalist and the fourth seed have both been knocked out by qualifiers on day two of the ASB Classic in Auckland this afternoon.

The first seed has fallen from the ASB Classic, with Mona Barthel defeated in straight sets by Yvonne Meusburger in today's opening round at Stanley St.

ASB Classic tournament organisers have laid on the royal treatment for glamorous tennis star Ana Ivanovic.

Tennis star Venus Williams has already won the ASB Classic - in her dreams.

Most eyes at next week's ASB Classic will be on Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic but the doubles draw has the pedigree to pull some attention away from the big guns.

Former world No 1 Ana Ivanovic will headline the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland at the end of the year.

If you work for ASB and you are in Takapuna's Sovereign House, Albany's C:Drive or are about to move into ASB North Wharf at Wynyard Quarter, then lucky you.

Yanina Wickmayer's love affair with Auckland is showing no signs of dimming, with the 23-year-old Belgian within a match of a third Auckland women's classic final in four years.

Global tennis star Rafael Nadal is being lined up to play in the Auckland tennis open next month, nine years after he appeared on the backcourts as a virtual unknown.

She's won more than US$11 million in prize money, made the final at Wimbledon this year and is clearly the class act of the ASB Classic field, but the world's fourth-best female tennis player Agnieszka Radwanska is hardly a household name in New Zealand.