Kiwi wildcard Marina Erakovic is through to the second round of the ASB Tennis Classic in Auckland with a thrilling three sets win over Canadian qualifier Marie-Eve Pelletier.
With plenty of expectation on 16-year-old Erakovic, she showed she has the game to compete at the higher level.
A large TennisLane crowd rode every point with the Kiwi, who kept her nerve despite going down 6-4 in the first set.
Erakovic capitalised on a situation when Pelletier called for a trainer to treat an ankle injury late in the game.
She claimed her second round berth with a 4-6, 7-5- 6-3 win.
Erakovic is feeling the pinch following the hard fought clash, but she is proud to have done it in front of her home crowd.
She says at two hours and forty-three minutes it is a bit of a long one, but she wants to thank the crowd who she says really spurred her on.
She will next play Slovakian qualifier Janette Husarova who caused one of the biggest upsets on day two of the Classic.
