Lamperin reveals who was on his Wimbledon shopping list for ASB Classic

ASB Classic tournament director Nicolas Lamperin says he’ll be going all out to bring Alexandra Eala back to Auckland next, while he’s been in contact with Serena Williams’ representatives.

Eala made a huge impact at this year’s ASB Classic, as she made her way to the semifinals. The 21-year-old was a huge hit with New Zealand’s Philippine community, who flocked to every one of her matches.

They made the Manuka Doctor Area feel more like a football stadium than a tennis venue and she made a similar impact at this year’s Wimbledon, knocking out defending champion Iga Swiatak, before losing a tight three-set battle against Jasmine Paolini.

Lamperin, who has been at Wimbledon talking to players and agents, confirmed signing Eala is a high priority for him. 

“With Alexandra, we now have a bit of a history,” Lamperin said. 

“She's someone we value and appreciate, so we'll do what it takes to try to bring her back.”

One of the biggest talking points at this year’s Wimbledon was the return of Serena Williams after four years of retirement. She lost her first-round match against Australia’s Maya Joint, but showed she is competitive.

Whether Williams continues playing remains unclear, but Lamperin has been quick to put the feelers out and let it be known she’d be welcomed in New Zealand in January.

“When I saw she was playing again I got in contact with her manager, and said we'd obviously be interested to have her back, if she decides to play,” Lamperin said. 

“At this point it's impossible to say what her plans are going to be, but the door is wide open.

The ASB Classic remains the most recent title Serena has won, defeating Jessica Pegula in the 2020 final. 

“She came with her daughter and won the tournament, so she's obviously got fond memories of her time there,” Lamperin said. 

“But you know, she's 44, is she going to play more events? We don't know, I don't even think she knows.”

Lamperin revealed he is also interested in former world No 4 Zheng Qinwen from China.

“I've made contact with her agent, because she's coming back from injury,” he said.

“She's been struggling with her form. But to me, she's a top five player when she's fully fit. So we've agreed to have a discussion around the US Open.”

Lamperin says he’s already signed three players for the women’s ASB Classic and is keeping a spot open for someone ranking in between 11 and 20, which he’ll make a decision on closer to the start of the tournament. 

On the men's side, he is having ongoing discussions with two players in the top 10 and one in the top 15.

Lamperin is also looking towards the next generation. He is keeping tabs on The 17-year-old Moise Kouame from France, who reached the third round at Roland Garros in May, and Spain’s Rafael Jodar, who is aged 19.

Jodar had a sensational clay court season, winning the tournament in Marrakech, reaching the semifinals in Barcelona and making it to the quarters in Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.

Meanwhile, Lamperin said a significant change for next year’s ASB Classic tournaments will be that both semifinals days will be split into two sessions, each containing a singles and doubles semifinal.

This will increase the number of sessions over the fortnight from 22 to 24.

“There's always a really strong demand for those days,” Lamperin said. 

“So we thought it was the right thing to do, just to make sure we can have as many people as possible watching matches.” 

The player announcement is expected to be made around the time of the US Open, which is late August.