KEY POINTS:
If Marina Erakovic is to break her unwanted streak of eight first-round exits at this week's ASB Classic, she will need to do it against a player about whom she knows little more than her name.
And it is some name. The Kiwi No 1 was yesterday drawn
against tongue-twisting Spaniard Nuria Llagostera Vives, who is ranked just two spots below Erakovic at 68.
"I don't really know my opponent," Erakovic admitted. "I know she's quite a small girl [at 1.56m] and she's pretty fast around the court and very competitive. I will ask around and see what her strengths and weaknesses are and make a gameplan. That's all you really can do."
What her enquiries might reveal is that Llagostera Vives had a decent 2008, winning her second WTA Tour title, as well as two doubles titles, and finished the year among the world's top 100 for the fourth time.
She was once ranked as high as 35, in June 2005, and has twice reached the second round at Auckland.
Expectations around Erakovic are high after her impressive run into the semifinals 12 months ago and a year in which she jumped more than 100 places in the rankings before a late-season slide.
She defeated top seed and then world No 22 Vera Zvonareva at last year's ASB Classic and will need to topple the top seed again, and another Russian, if she is to replicate the feat.
Awaiting Erakovic in the second round is a likely match-up with world No 4 and Olympic champion Elena Dementieva, who will meet Taipei's Yung-Jan Chan in the first round.
She was philosophical about a possible second-round match against the highest-ranked player the tournament has ever attracted.
"I'm never anxious about draws," she said. "It's not that I don't care it's just I can't do anything about it. Whatever happens, happens.
"Elena is a fantastic player. If I do get the chance to play her, I will really look forward to it."
Erakovic would have liked a better preparation. An ankle injury forced her to return home early from her Dutch coach Michael Schaeppers and she only recently picked up a racquet.
"I would have liked my preparation to have been a bit longer. I have had a couple of weeks of good, solid tennis and some of the girls came down early so I have had some practice matches. I am doing the best I can. I am definitely hitting the ball well. It's just a matter of getting into the swing of things and back into a tournament environment."
The ASB Classic has lost some of its star power after top-20 players Nadia Petrova (11) and Katarina Srebotnik (20) withdrew through illness and injury respectively.
World No 12 Caroline Wozniacki took over as second seed and received a favourable draw against a qualifier in the first round.
She's on the same side of the draw as former world No 7 Nicole Vaidisova, as well as fourth seed Aleksandra Wozniak, which would surely be a commentator's nightmare if Wozniak and Wozniaki were drawn to play each other.
Last year's beaten finalist Aravane Rezzai is back and will meet former champion and crowd favourite Eleni Danilidou in the first round.
In qualifying yesterday, Di Hollands beat Kairangi Vano 6-2 1-6 6-4 in the battle of the Kiwis and will meet top seed and world No 85 Mathilde Johansson of France in today's second round.
Former top-30 player Michaella Krajicek also advanced in the search for one of four spots in the main draw.
