KEY POINTS:
New Zealanders Simon Rea and Michael Venus have had first-round wins at a US$10,000 ($13,500) Futures tennis tournament at Chiangmai in Thailand.
No 3 seed Rea, who was a finalist at the previous week's tournament in Thailand, beat Korean Hyung-Kwon Kim 6-1 6-2 and will play American qualifier Justin Diao Natale in the second round.
Venus accounted for Sri Lankan Harshana Godamanna 6-3 7-6(2). He now plays second seed Jae-Sung An (Korea).
At another US$15,000 Futures in Japan, Dan King-Turner has drawn local wildcard Joji Miyao in the first round of singles.
Leanne Baker lost in the second round qualifying at the US$200,000 tier 3 WTA event in Birmingham, England.
Baker beat Japan's Seiko Okamoto 6-3 6-3 in the first round before falling to America's Lilia Osterloh 6-3 6-2.
- NZPA