KEY POINTS:
New Zealand tennis No 1 Marina Erakovic got the workout she wanted ahead of the Australian Open but not the result as she crashed out in the first round of the Hobart International today.
Erakovic was on court for nearly two hours before going down 1-6 6-4 1-6 to China's Jie Zheng, the world No 24 and tournament fourth seed.
It was a roller coaster performance from the Auckland 20-year-old, who was outclassed in the first and third sets but deservedly won the second, based around a proficient serving performance.
However, her serve largely let her down. She double-faulted five times and was down on her usual ace tally with just two.
Her second serve was continually pounced on by the aggressive Zheng, most notably in a the final set.
Erakovic, ranked 68th in the world, would have hoped for an easier opponent first up as she seeks form a week out from a first appearance at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Zheng is coming off a memorable year on the WTA, highlighted by a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon after she upset the then-world No 1 Ana Ivanovic.
After an off-season break, Erakovic exited in the second round of her home tournament, the ASB Classic in Auckland, with a 6-2 6-3 loss to top-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva, the eventual winner.
She battled abdominal and neck injuries in Auckland last week and required an extended medical break for courtside treatment during the second set against Dementieva.
Erakovic won't play again until the Australian Open after she also lost her first round doubles match today.
She was seeded second with Romanian partner Monica Niculescu but they were toppled 6-2 2-6 10-8 by an unseeded pair, Briton Sarah Borwell and American Courtney Nagle.
- NZPA
