KEY POINTS:
When Marina Erakovic steps out on a tennis court some time tonight she'll be playing for $12,280.
That's the difference between a second and third round finish at the Tier 1 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, where Erakovic has taken full advantage of her main draw wildcard.
It's
the biggest purse the New Zealand number one has had on the line, a sign of her progress since breaking through by making the semifinals of the ASB Classic in January.
She will be familiar with her second round opponent, Michaella Krajicek, with whom she won the US Junior Open doubles title.
She also partnered her at the Classic in Auckland before Krajicek withdrew with a wrist injury.
Erakovic's first round win in Miami, 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 over German Martina Mueller, was by far the biggest of her career. Miami, a joint men's and women's tournament, is one of the richest outside of the four Grand Slams, with prize money of $4,292,876 for both sexes.
The victory over the world No 70 was a crucial breakthrough for Erakovic, who had never even made it through qualifying at a Tier 1 event.
In her most recent attempt, at Indian Wells last week, she was dumped out in the first round of qualifying by world No 147 Aleksandra Wozniak.
Another such setback in Miami could have burst the Kiwi's bubble following her run to the semifinals of a Tier 3 event in Memphis, where she was beaten by Lindsay Davenport.
Instead, the 30 ranking points she picked up for her victory could propel her into the main draw of the French Open. Her ranking of 101 could rise to as high as 88, high enough for direct entry into Roland Garros.
"Obviously you are going to go to tournaments and have highs and lows," Erakovic said. "You've just got to ride the highs as long as you can."
She admitted she had been pleasantly surprised to receive a main draw wildcard after initially requesting a qualifying wildcard.
"I was very fortunate to get a main draw one and I am very grateful for that. Things like that for up-and-coming players are very nice to get. It helps a lot."
Should Erakovic get past Krajicek, she is drawn to face Venus Williams in the third round.
There is no shortage of stars in Miami, the only compulsory tournament outside the grand slams.