Another big name sought for Classic

Reuters

LOOKING GOOD: Former world No 1 Jelena Jankovic is still a target for January's ASB Classic women's tournament in Auckland.

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Brenda Perry is chasing three elusive top players including former world No1 Jelena Jankovic as she tries to get another major signature for her international women's tennis tournament in Auckland in January.

The ASB Classic yesterday named Italian world No12 Flavia Pennetta as their latest drawcard.

With direct entries closing on Tuesday, tournament director Perry is facing a frantic few days to add more big-name value to an event that already has star quality.

There are still four top players yet to be tied down for commitments a week before the Australian Open, although Perry laughed off Serena Williams as being in her budget.

But she was more serious about tracking down Jankovic, the world No8, Agnieska Radwnaska who is at 10 and the 11th-ranked Marion Bartoli.

"We are going to keep trying right up until next Tuesday with whatever we can do," Perry said. "Those three aren't committed anywhere else yet ... anything and everything is possible.

"It's not easy but I'm always excited when we get confirmations like Flavia, and I feel confident that we are going to have one of our strongest lineups."

Pennetta's appearance is a good way for Auckland to make up for the loss of disgraced Belgium Yanina Wickmayer, who had just been named as one of their drawcards when she was caught in a doping scandal that has seen her banned for a year.

Perry said they had to take that on the chin as they worked in a competitive recruiting business.

"It's a game you play, you manoeuvre, you keep trying. There have been quite a few curve balls ... Wickmayer was a big curve ball," Perry said, adding that she had heard from the "devastated" player.

Wickmayer has been withdrawn from WTA tournaments, even as she works through her appeal process.

Speaking of appeal, Pennatta should ooze plenty of that. The 27-year-old has model looks to go with her tennis talent and has appeared in fashion shows in Milan and in magazine shoots.

But she has made her mark on the court, this year becoming the first Italian player to crack the top 10 after her quarterfinal finish at the US Open in September.

Pennetta has eight singles titles, including two this year in Palermo and Los Angeles. She has made nine singles finals and won six doubles titles.

Pennetta made the last round of qualifying in Auckland in 2003 and has been on the rise ever since, returning at the top of her game.

"She is the consummate professional. She has proven extremely dangerous to any top-10 player and has a 4-3 winning record against Venus Williams which says a lot about her," Perry said.

A regular in the Italian Federation Cup team, she played in the 2009 final against the United States just over a week ago, winning both her singles matches in her nation's triumph.

She joins world No15, Li Na from China plus No22 and 2009 finalist Elena Vesnina from Russia as singles seeds for the US$220,000 (NZ$295,000) Auckland event.

- © Fairfax NZ News