Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin among wildcard entrants to ASB Classic in January

With the 2023 WTA season set to begin in a few days, most tournaments Down Under have already decided their line-ups, with the ASB Classic being among the first events to bring in the New Year.

A WTA 250 event, the ASB Classic will run from January 2-8, 2023 in Auckland, Australia. Americans Coco Gauff and Sloane Stephens have already confirmed their participation, and they will be joined by compatriots Venus Williams and Sofia Kenin.

Williams, a seven-time singles Grand Slam champion, is in the twilight of her career and will hope to start the season on a positive note. Kenin, who won her only Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, battled with injury for most of the 2022 season and will hope to play her way back into form as she prepares for the first Major of the year.

Additionally, two more wildcard entrants were announced, with 15-year old Czech prodigy Brenda Fruhvirtova granted a spot. New Zealand's Erin Routliffe has also been given a wildcard entry, with the veteran poised to make some noise at the start of the season.