Tennis: Erakovic advances at Birmingham

Marina Erakovic has safely negotiated her way past an early obstacle at the Birmingham Classic tennis tournament in England.

The New Zealander, ranked 167th in the world, advanced after holding off Spanish rival Arantxa Parra in straight sets in the first round today.

Erakovic opened her account in the $US220,000 ($NZ270,000) event with a 6-4 6-4 win over the world's 92nd ranked player a fortnight after qualifying for the French Open grand slam championship at Roland Garros before being eliminated in the first round.

- NZPA