Heineken Open tennis director Graham Pearce says fans are going to be in for a real treat in Auckland in January, with two former champions and a Wimbledon semifinalist being added to the field at the last minute.
Direct entries closed Tuesday night and Pearce says it is probably the strongest singles field ever, with four players in the top 20 and another two just outside it.
He says the late addition of the 29th-ranked Croatian Mario Ancic - who comes in at seventh seed - is also a major boost.
World No.7 Guillermo Coria from Argentina has been confirmed as the top seed, ahead of 13th-ranked Spaniard Tommy Robredo and defending champion Dominik Hrbaty.
World no.19 American Vince Spadea will be fourth seed and fifth is Olympic medallist Fernando Gonzalez.
Sixth seed is French Open quarterfinalist, Argentinian, Juan Ignacio Chela, while Ancic is seventh seed.
Former World no.1 Juan Carlos Ferrero from Spain, now ranked 31st, is eighth seed.
Former Heineken Open champion Jonas Bjorkman is right on the cut off for the 23 direct entries with a ranking of 70.
Also confirmed to play in the 50th anniversary of the professional tournament in Auckland are Peru's Luis Horna, Tahiti-born Fabrice Santoro, 1999 Heineken Open winner Sjeng Schalken, American Robby Ginepri, Argentine Mariano Zabableta, Julien Benneteau and last year's finalist Rafael Nadal.
