New Zealand tennis player Shelley Stephens and partner Ka-po Tong gave the sixth seeds a fright before bowing out of the Wimbledon women's qualifying doubles in London yesterday.
Stephens and Tong, from Hong Kong, lost 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 2-6 to Japan's Haruka Inoue and Naja Palaversic, of Croatia.
Pavlina Nola, the only New Zealander in the women's main draw, is to play a qualifier in the first round of the women's singles.
Should she win that match it is likely the Bulgaria-born Nola will meet French Open runner-up Kim Clijsters in round two.
Nola, who turned 27 last week, is ranked 70th in the world. She has twice made it past a Grand Slam first round - at the US Open in 1998 and last year.
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