Tennis: Precious little in W column for local fans to cheer about

Played three, lost three, sets won none.

The line on New Zealand's three players in the qualifying draw for the ASB Classic had a depressingly familiar look to it yesterday.

The losses by Shelley Stephens, Leanne Baker and Tracey O'Connor mean teenage wildcard Marina Erakovic is New Zealand's sole remaining local interest in the Classic singles, which starts in Auckland today.

New Zealand's No 1 Stephens, who had been unimpressed at being overlooked for a wildcard into the main draw, lost in straight sets to German Angelique Kerber, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4); Baker was blown away by 2001 champion Meilen Tu 6-1, 6-1; and O'Connor pushed another German, Angelika Bachmann, hard in the first set yesterday, and had three set points before succumbing 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.

It all paints a depressing picture of the national women's game.

The numbers get worse with a glance through recent history.

Since the 2001 Classic, New Zealand women have played 19 games in the qualifying stages.

They have produced just two wins - by Ilke Gers in 2003 and by Paula Marama last year, when she beat fellow New Zealander Diane Hollands in the first round. In the course of those 17 defeats, New Zealand players have won a measly two sets, both by Aucklander Gers in 2001 and 2002.

Gers, who beat Luxembourg's Claudine Schaul, now world No 61, in qualifying in 2003, is injured and her future is uncertain.

Classic tournament director Richard Palmer's assessment of the state of New Zealand's contribution to the event is a blend of frustration and reality.

He has been director since 1997. It's his responsibility to hand out wildcards, this year opting to give one to 16-year-old Aucklander Erakovic and the other to Russian Lina Krasnoroutskaya, at the expense of another New Zealander.

Stephens, the leading candidate for that second wildcard, was unimpressed, but she's had one for nine successive years and is yet to win a set.

"Sometimes you have to say enough is enough," Palmer said.

"Every year you're hoping someone puts their hand up, jumps up the ranking, gets a win to give us something to cheer about.

"But what people forget is we're talking about a truly global sport. It is getting stronger.

"You look at the number of different nationalities here, the number of people vying to get in."

Erakovic got her first win in the Classic yesterday, in the qualifying round for the doubles.

It is a small step but as Palmer pointed out, having a W against a New Zealand name is always preferable to an L