The winners of seven Grand Slams, a former No 1 and as a rising Kiwi star highlight the player entry list for the women's 2025 ASB Classic.
Tournament Director Nicolas Lamperin confirmed on Wednesday the 22 players with direct entry to the WTA 250 event, to be staged December 30-January 5 in Auckland.
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The field is headed with the late confirmation of 21st ranking American Madison Keys, a former US Open finalist. The 29-year-old secured the eighth title of her career at Strasbourg this year.
Belgian Elise Mertens is ranked second seed, having won eight titles in her career and has been the top-ranked doubles player has well.
Her 2024 season included the quarterfinals in Linz and Charleston, and round of 16 at Indian Wells (losing to Coco Gauff), US Open (losing to Aryna Sabalenka), Stuttgart (losing to Iga Swiatek), Birmingham, Eastbourne, Monastir, and Osaka.
American world No 36 Amanda Anisimova is third seed after returning from a break, making the round of 16 at the ASB Classic this year. She made the fourth round at the Australian Open, quarterfinal in Washington, lost to Jessica Pegula in the final in the Toronto Masters and reached the round of 16 in Korea and China.
New Zealand star Lulu Sun, now ranked a remarkable 40 in the world, is the fourth seed following her breakthrough season highlighted by making the quarterfinals in Wimbledon and will be wanting home support as she comes back from injury.
The 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu is the sixth seed, one spot spot ahead of the Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam Champion and former world No 1, who is making her return to the game following the birth of her daughter.
The other Grand Slam winners in the field are popular American Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open winner, making a return to Auckland where she won the ASB Classic in 2016 and compatriot Sofia Kenin, who won the Australian Open in 2020.
There are 14 different nationalities, including eight Americans among the 22 players named for the tournament, to highlight the sport’s global depth.
Lamperin is delighted with the quality of the field, especially in the tournament calendar rotation that sees the Auckland event starting 30 December, with all players within the top 100 in the world rankings, for a third straight year.
“I am very pleased with the quality of the field this year with the winners of seven Grand Slams, a US Open runner-up and a mix of proven performers and some exciting young players.
“To have Lulu Sun back home at the tournament as the No 4 seed is evidence of her incredible year, given she was a qualifier at the last ASB Classic. Lulu is an extremely talented and an exciting player. This is a wonderful opportunity for kiwi fans to watch our own New Zealand star playing at home.”
There will be a further two New Zealand players given the chance to compete, with a qualifying tournament which starts December 28 and the tournament-proper on December 30.
“They won’t be the only kiwis competing, with Erin Routliffe back home to play in the doubles with her regular partner Gabby Dabrowski from Canada after they took out the WTA Finals title recently.
“With Erin and Lulu competing, it is a rare chance for fans to watch two of the world’s best from New Zealand competing at our prized WTA Tournament.”
Keys entering the tournament makes up for the late withdrawal of Canadian Bianca Andreescu for personal reasons.
The men’s ASB Classic will follow from January 6 to 11, with Lamperin highlighting that ticket sales have been extremely strong.
The women’s seeded field is (Seed, Name, Country, World Ranking):
1. Madison Keys (USA) 21; 2. Elise Mertens (BEL) 34; 3. Amanda Anisimova (USA) 36; 4. Lulu Sun (NZL) 40; 5. Clara Tauson (DEN) 50; 6. Emma Raducanu (GBR) 59; 7. Naomi Osaka (JPN) 60; 8. Katie Volynets (USA) 61; 9. Julie Grabner (AUT) 73; 10. Bernarda Pera (USA) 74; 11. Lucia Bronzetti (ITA) 77; 12. Sloane Stephens (USA) 78; 13. Erika Andreeva 79; 14. Sofia Kenin (USA) 83; 15. Jacqueline Cristian (ROU) 85; 16. Jule Niemeier (GER) 89; 17. Hailey Baptiste (USA) 90; 18. Greet Minnen (BEL) 93; 19. Ann Li (USA) 94; 20, Xiyu Wang (CHN) 97; 21. Yulia Starodubtseva (UKR) 100; 22. Rebecca Marino (CAN) 101.