Tennis: Erakovic tries to forget pressure

Marina Erakovic

Marina Erakovic is determined to shut any semblance of pressure out of her mind when she plays Canadian qualifier Marie-Eve Pelletier in her first singles match on the big stage today.

The 16-year-old Aucklander drew one of the four players to emerge from the ASB Classic's qualifying tournament, but at least world No 148 Pelletier is not a complete stranger.

In the doubles qualifying competition on Sunday, Erakovic and South African partner Chanelle Scheepers beat Pelletier and American Lindsay-Lee Waters.

"She's quite consistent, has good ground strokes, likes to hit off the baseline and has a good serve," Erakovic said of today's opponent.

"It's hard when you've never played someone before but that game gave me a bit of confidence."

Playing in her own backyard, Erakovic knows there will be plenty of support for her today.

"I'm pretty excited and looking forward to it. I'm feeling pretty good and I think I'm in pretty good form.

"There is a bit of pressure but I'll try and put that aside and just focus on my tennis."

Erakovic is also in the main doubles draw, joining Leanne Baker to give New Zealand two points of local interest.

Erakovic and Scheepers lost the qualifying final to Taipei's Su-Wei Hsieh and Japan's Yuka Yoshida yesterday.

But when Hungarian Petra Mandula withdrew from the tournament with a back injury yesterday, an extra space opened up for the second-best combination from qualifying.

Erakovic and Scheepers will play Americans Teryn Ashley and Laura Granville in the first round.

Baker and her partner, Francesca Lubiani of Italy, who got a wildcard into the main draw, play second seeds Jill Craybas and Corina Morariu of the United States.