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PARIS - New Zealand tennis No 1 Marina Erakovic is one game away from a place in the second round at the French Open after rain halted her grind to victory at Roland Garros today.
After two hours and 50 minutes on court, the chair umpire stopped play after Erakovic held serve to take a 5-3 lead in the deciding third set against world No 56 Tathiana Garbin, of Italy.
Erakovic's coach, Michael Schapers, felt the break would help her after the opening sets went 6-7 6-3.
"The conditions were tough and the court was slowing down which is not good for Marina's game," Schapers said.
"I think what you've seen in the match is both players like to dominate with the forehand and I will give her a few pointers so if she gets chances with the forehand she can use a bit more variation, and she just has to go out and go for it."
The match, played in front of several hundred boisterous Italian and New Zealand fans, had plenty of drama with the more experienced Garbin cracking under pressure and frustrated by the rain in the third set.
Garbin, who reached the fourth round at Roland Garros in 2007, was given a time violation by the chair umpire for trying to have the match suspended when trailing 3-4 in the decider.
She then lost her composure as Erakovic kept her cool to grab a decisive break.
Earlier, Erakovic, in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time, had rallied from losing a gripping 71-minute opening set 11-9 in a tiebreaker.
She saved seven set points in the first set and had two of her own in the tiebreak but could not convert.
Erakovic had made a nervous start and numerous unforced errors saw her trail 2-5.
She then saved three set points at 3-5 before breaking Garbin's serve and eventually succumbing in the tiebreak.
Erakovic responded by playing some of her best tennis at the start of the second set.
An early service break gave her the ascendency with her forehand particularly lethal and her serve accurate.
She had eight break points at 5-2 to clinch the set and eventually held serve with a stinging cross court backhand winner to take the set 6-3 in 53 minutes.
Erakovic broke Garbin's serve at the start of the third set and raced to a 3-1 lead before the Italian showed some fight to claw it back to 3-3.
By now it was drizzling and the lines were getting slippery, but they played on despite Garbin's protests.
When play resumes Erakovic will be one game away from a second round match against the tournament favourite and third seed Jelena Jankovic, of Serbia, who battled past Romania's Monica Niculescu 7-6, 6-2.
A first round win would give Erakovic 60 valuable WTA ranking points and would take her close to breaking into the world's top 70 for the first time.
Schapers said it would be important for Erakovic to get a good night's sleep.
"It's an unusual situation, but she will be the second match on tomorrow, (tonight NZT).
"It's a bit weird being up 5-3, so it's important that she goes on to the court relaxed and sure of her case.
"It won't be easy but if she keeps her cool she's going to do it."
- NZPA
