Melbourne - The Auckland ATP tournament has won a power struggle with the elite AAMI Classic at Kooyong club over the appearance of Latvian Ernests Gulbis next month.

The 20-year-old's handlers may have somehow double-booked their man into two events during the same January week in two different countries.

With the stalemate threatening, Kooyong organiser Colin Stubs had to yield to the tour, replacing Gulbis with Spanish heart-throb Fernando Verdasco for the January 14-17 Australian Open tune-up headed by Roger Federer.

In another scheduling bungle, American James Blake was also substituted in the eight-man field after his handlers also got their timing wrong.

Blake pulled out to be replaced by veteran Spaniard Carlos Moya, who has finished in the top 50 for 13 straight years - a record among active players.

The US-based Gulbis management was unable to clarify how they could have got it so wrong, but ATP rules which give tour events the edge in such disputes were apparently invoked, leaving Stubs to sort out his own problem.

Gulbis' camp believes that the youngster might have just entered the Auckland ATP tournament on his own without telling anyone.

Verdasco is currently dating Serbian French Open winner Ana Ivanovic and won the doubles and reverse singles in Spain's title last month over Argentine the Davis Cup final.

The Kooyong field now includes: Federer, his Swiss Davis Cup teammate Stan Wawrinka, Fernando Gonzalez, Croatian Marin Cilic, Marat Safin, Moya and former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis. (dpa)