Tennis: Winning start for Erakovic

New Zealand's Marina Erakovic has made a strong start to the Edgbaston Classic women's tennis tournament in England.

She had a straights sets victory today in the first round at Birmingham, eliminating 11th seeded Hungarian Melinda Czink 7-5 6-4 as she continues preparing for Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam tournament of the year which starts in London on June 21.

It was a significant result for Erakovic, who last posted a win in the main draw of a WTA tournament at Memphis in the United States in February last year.

Erakovic rose to a career-high 49th in the world rankings last year before a long spell on the sideline caused by a series of injuries. Her ranking has plummeted to 629th.

- NZPA