By TERRY MADDAFORD and ALAN PERROTT
Their much-publicised shootout was all over in less than an hour, but there were plenty of nerves and tension on both sides of the net before Leanne Baker upset New Zealand tennis No 1 Shelley Stephens 6-4, 6-4 at Stanley St yesterday.
"I'm glad that's behind me," said a relieved Baker, who immediately claimed the last singles wildcard for next week's ASB Bank Classic.
"It was tough mentally and physically, but I'm sure we will both benefit from it."
Asked whether she had considered taking the chance to join the world's top junior, Maria Emilia Salernia, as a wildcard into the main doubles draw, 19-year-old Baker was adamant that she was always going to take the singles spot if she won.
"Absolutely," she said. "Just making it into the main draw is worth valuable points."
If she can repeat her effort of two years ago, when she won her first-round match before going out in the second to 1998 winner and 1999 runner-up Dominique Van Roost, Baker knows she will give her year on the Sanex WTA Tour the solid start she is looking for.
Baker, who has recovered from the sickness which sidelined her for three months, has been practising well with her coach, Andrew Rogers.
Her win in this month's New Zealand Residentials is proof of her current form.
While she will play doubles, she has no idea who with.
Stephens was a winner on and off the court yesterday, despite the scoreline going against her.
She is now assured of picking up doubles points which will immediately improve her world ranking of 186, while off the court she had a surprise reunion.
"After the match I met an old schoolfriend from Otago Girls' High who I had seen singing in Christmas in the Park.
"It was quite good for both of us," said 22-year-old Stephens, who has a world singles ranking of 320, compared with Baker's 347.
"I now know I'm in the doubles, although I haven't met my partner yet and still have a chance of getting into the singles if I play well in qualifying."
Niki Tippins, one of four New Zealanders with wildcards into the qualifying tournament, withdrew yesterday.
She has been replaced by North Harbour 15-year-old Tanja Markovic.
The qualifying tournament will be played over the weekend, and the last matches will be on Monday.
The tournament proper starts that day, and there are night sessions scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday.
The one-off match proved a useful shakedown for all concerned.
The 100-odd who turned up got an entertaining duel, the players got valuable court time, the stadium's new cat made its first public appearance, and organisers got to practice their upcoming roles.
Former New Zealand No 1 Chris Lewis was among the spectators and believes such matches should be a regular feature, along similar lines to the Australian system.
Wildcard entry into the Australian Open is determined by a series of round-robin competitions held in conjunction with six domestic tournaments during October and November.
While New Zealand does not have Australia's playing depth, Lewis would like the concept applied here to add an extra dimension to local competitions.
Tennis: Baker claims last wildcard with upset win
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