Tennis: Routliffe wins first round qualifying match for Wimbledon

Erin Routliffe, left, switched allegiances to New Zealand last year.

New Zealand's Erin Routliffe is on the cusp of qualifying for the Ladies doubles at Wimbledon.

The 23-year-old Kiwi and her Chilean partner Alexa Guarachi have won their first round qualifying match at Roehampton 6-3 7-5 over Australia's Priscilla Hon and Dutchwoman Arantxa Rus in one hour 13.

After the pairs exchanged early service breaks Routliffe and Hon gained the decisive break in the 6th game and closed out the opening set.

The Kiwi and Chilean combo made a great start to the second set with a break in the first game, but Rus and Hon broke back and games then went with serve until 5-5 when Routliffe and Guarachi broke again and then serve out the match.

Routliffe and Guarachi were the last direct entry into Wimbledon qualifying and now they are one win away on playing in a Grand Slam for the first time.

They will face the Russian / Slovakian pair of Anna Kalinskaya and Viktoria Kuzmova for a place in the main draw at the All England Club.

Meanwhile third seeds Kiwi Michael Venus and his South African doubles partner Raven Klaasen have lost in the quarter finals at the Eastbourne ATP tournament in England.

Venus and Klaasen have been well beaten 6-2 6-4 in 51 min by the Skupski brothers Ken and Neal from the UK.