Tennis: ASB seeds face tough challenges in first round

Being among the top seeds proved no immunisation against tough draws at the ASB Classic yesterday. The top two seeds, Amy Frazier and Jelena Jankovic, were awarded tricky first-round draws for tomorrow's tournament.

Even No 3 seed and two-time defending champion Eleni Daniilidou may feel a little uncomfortable about progress through to the second round after being drawn to play world No 91 Mara Santangelo. The Italian beat Daniilidou at the Australian Open last year in their only clash when Santangelo was ranked 129.

For Frazier, the first-round draw means she will face good friend Laura Granville in an all-American clash on centre court tomorrow. It will be the first time the 32-year-old has met Granville, nine years her junior, in a tournament, but Frazier remains philosophical.

"She's a good friend of mine and we practise together so it's going to be a tough match," she said. "It's the luck of the draw."

The draw was no kinder to second-seed Serbian Jankovic. She will play rising Luxembourg 21-year-old Claudia Schaul, who had something of a breakthrough in 2004, winning her first WTA tournament. The world No 61 won in Strasbourg, beating four of the top five seeds along the way, including Lindsay Davenport, her first victory over a top-10 player.

For eighth seed Alina Jidkova, the draw provided problems of a more logistical nature. The Russian was drawn to meet Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik. "I'm meant to practice against her," she said. "I'm trying to figure it out. I think I'll have to change."

It's not the only problem she's faced in her short stay so far.

After going to bed at 10pm on New Year's Eve she was awoken at midnight by Auckland's downtown fireworks.

"I decided to get up to get it on my camera, but forgot to push record," she said.

Meanwhile New Zealand's teen star Marina Erakovic might not have had what the organisers would call a dream draw - but it probably gave her the best chance of advancing past the first round of her first ASB Classic.

Wildcard Erakovic, New Zealand's brightest tennis prospect for too long to remember, was drawn to meet a qualifier. That means she will have to wait until Tuesday before she takes to the court in front of an expectant home crowd.

In many ways though, it is a disappointment. She has to wait through another day of not knowing who she will be meeting and at the back of any kid's mind is the chance of meeting a top-50 player like top seed Frazier (world No 26) or Daniilidou (34).

Erakovic admitted it might have been easier to know who she was playing so she could school up on the player's strengths and weaknesses but at this stage she's grateful enough for the card into the main draw, a card that guarantees her a nice Christmas cheque of US$1000. Should she beat her qualifying opponent, that would rise to $1825.

The Croatian-born 16-year-old has said this week how relaxing she found tennis. She has had to revise those words as tension builds towards Tuesday's debut.

"It's definitely a bit nerve-wracking. The closer it gets the more nervous I get, but that's all part of it, I suppose, and I'm just going to have to get used to it."

In order to control the nerves, Erakovic sinks deeper into her sport, trying to cut out all peripheral thoughts that don't involve a racquet and a ball.

"You have to relax yourself and not worry about anything else except the way you're playing. Then you have to go out there and try to enjoy yourself."

Erakovic's goals for the year are simple: "I want to play my best tennis."

By doing this she hopes to succeed, literally, on two levels. She will continue to play in the juniors - following Auckland she heads to Australia to prepare for the Australian Open - where she has forged an impressive record, particularly in doubles.

She would also like to make sure the ASB Classic will not be her last WTA-level tournament of the year.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY