Cometh the hour, cometh the player, as Wanganui tennis standout Emma Hayman has discovered deep in Central Asia this week.
The 24-year-old has had to step up big time for the New Zealand Fed Cup women's tennis team in Astana, Kazakhstan, after No1 player Marina Erakovic had a freak accident in the team hotel.
New Zealand had opened their Asia/Oceania Group II account with a strong 3-0 win over Vietnam, with Erakovic easily winning her match while Hayman teamed with fellow debutant and national doubles championship partner Abigail Guthrie to win their game against Thi-Tam-Hao Tran and Trang-Huynh Phuong Dai in three sets, 4-6 6-4 6-3.
However the team had their backs to the wall in their next game in a 2-1 loss to Hong Kong with Erakovic out of the reckoning.
New Zealand's top 100 player had slipped on the hotel floor and dislocated her thumb, sending her home for treatment.