Tennis: Erakovic to face wildcard

Kiwi tennis No 1 Marina Erakovic will play French wildcard Kristina Mladenovic in the first round of the singles in next week's US Open.

Erakovic, ranked 54 in the world, has never played the 19-year-old Frenchwoman, who is ranked 152, in a singles contest. If she wins her first round match Erakovic would meet Slovak Daniela Hantuchova or Russia Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

The women's top seed is Victoria Azarenka followed by Agnieszka Radwanska, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.

Roger Federer is the men's top seed followd by Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and David Ferrer.

Meanwhile, Erakovic and British doubles partner Heather Watson won their way into the semifinals of the US$220,000 WTA Texas Open in Dallas yesterday.

They beat American pair Jennifer Elie and Asia Muhammed 6-2 6-0 in the quarter-finals and now play top-seeded Czech pair Iveta Bensova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova for a place in the final.

At the US$10,000 Futures tournament in Guayaquil, Ecuador, New Zealander Finn Tearney has reached the quarter-finals of singles and doubles.

Tearney won through qualifying and then beat local wildcard Andres Cabezas 6-0 6-2 in the first round before accounting for fourth seed Sergio Galdos of Peru ranked at 597 in the world in straight sets 7-6(8) 6-1.

In the quarter-finals, the Wellington 21-year-old, who attends Pepperdine University in Malibu, will play eighth seed Roberto Quiroz of Ecuador in the quarter-finals.

In the doubles draw, Tearney and his university team-mate Alex Llompart (Puerto Rico), beat third-seeded Argentine team Santiago Maccio and Gustavo Sterin 6-2 6-0 in the first round.

Tearney will earn an ATP singles and doubles ranking as a result of his performances so far.