She is the most prominent of the 104 players entered for the event that starts at the Otago and Pirates clubs today. She will also compete in the men's open, where she is ranked sixth.
The field includes four A grade women and six A grade men.
"It is the strongest field that has been attracted to a squash tournament in Dunedin over the last 20 years," Squash Otago executive officer Aynsley Munro said.
Leevey, one of New Zealand's best professional players, won a silver medal in the women's doubles with Shelley Kitchen at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, in Melbourne. Earlier that year, they had won the women's doubles title at the world championships.
The other top woman in the field is Rotorua's Amanda Landers-Murphy (20), who has concentrated on squash since the age of 13. She has risen through the amateur ranks and now has a professional ranking of 66 in the world.
Landers-Murphy is seeded second in the women's open draw and seventh in the men's open draw this weekend.
Aucklander Chris Lloyd (23), another professional, finished in the top eight at the recent New Zealand championships and is ranked 10th in the country. He has a Professional Squash Association ranking of 222 and is top seed in the men's open.
A grade player Scott Gardiner (Canterbury) is the second seed in the men's open.
The tournament starts today and the finals will be played on Sunday at the Otago Squash Club. The men's final starts at 2.20pm and the women's final at 3.20pm.
