Classic draw kind to Williams sisters

The Williams sisters have received relatively kind draws for the first round of next week's ASB Classic in Auckland.

Separated until the final on January 7, top-seeded Serena will take on French veteran Pauline Parmentier while Venus will play Kiwi young gun Jade Lewis.

Third-seed Danish ace Caroline Wozniacki, meanwhile, will tussle with American 23-year-old Nicole Gibbs.

Wozniacki is on the same side of the draw as Venus, who she is likely to face in the semi-finals for a place in the final against Serena.

That will depend on all three evading any banana skins placed in front of them next week, such as Czech fourth-seed Barbora Strycova or Kiwi wild card Marina Erakovic.

Erakovic, 28, will face Latvian teen Jelena Ostapenko in the first round and, if all goes to plan, will challenge Serena in the quarter-finals.