Tennis: Tough draw for young NZers at Open

Three New Zealanders will compete in the Australian Open junior singles tennis championships starting in Melbourne today.

Tauranga's Austen Childs, 16, Ellen Barry, 17, of Canterbury and Aucklander Sacha Jones, 15, all have tough first-round singles matches.

Barry, ranked at No 32, faces 50th ranked Corinna Dentoni, of Italy.

Jones takes on Uzbekistan's Dilyara Saidkhodyayeva, who is also ranked at No 50.

Jones has a ITF junior ranking of No 58.

Childs is to play Kenyan Christian Vitulli. Vitulli is ranked at No 25 on the world junior rankings while Childs is No 47.

Aucklanders Martin Colenbrader and Kairangi Vano failed to qualify in their respective draws.

- NZPA