Di Pasquale gets wildcard
for Australian Open

Sydney Olympics bronze medallist Arnaud Di Pasquale has been given a wildcard for next month's Australian Open, organisers said on Monday.

Di Pasquale and world number three junior Marion Bartoli received the French wildcards under a reciprocal arrangement with the French Open, Australian Open officials said.

Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand, ranked 120th, and Cho Yoon-Jeong of Korea, ranked 115th, received the Asian wildcards to the Australian Open as winners of the men's and women's singles in the Asian championships in Hong Kong which ended on Sunday.

Under the French wildcard agreement, the French Tennis Federation is allowed to nominate one male and one female player for the Australian Open wildcard in return for similar entry for Australian players in the French Open.

Former Australian Open champion Mary Pierce, 26, now ranked 129th in the world, was also given a wildcard this month.

The Frenchwoman won the title in 1995.

Organisers also awarded women's wildcards to local players Christina Wheeler and Cindy Watson while men's wildcards went to Australians Jaymon Crabb and Todd Larkham and American Taylor Dent, son of former Australian Davis Cup player Phil Dent, the 1974 Australian Open runner-up.

Six more wildcards are yet to be announced.

The Australian Open, one of four Grand Slam tournaments played on the international circuit each year, starts on January 14 in Melbourne.

Americans Andre Agassi and Jennifer Capriati are defending champions. The two-week tournament attracted more than 500,000 spectators in January this year.