Tennis: Kiwi players feature all around the world this week

Finn Tearney hits a return shot during the 2016 ASB Classic. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand tennis players are on courts around the world this week in over half a dozen nations, some at the top of their careers and others just starting out.

Michael Venus, who is at a career-high-equal doubles ranking of 39 in the world is in the ATP tournament in Nottingham, England with regular partner Mate Pavic of Croatia.

Artem Sitak and American Nicolas Monroe are in the same tournament which is the last warm up event before Wimbledon.

The other top-100-ranked Kiwi doubles player, Marcus Daniell, is practising on grass courts this week in the UK.

Marina Erakovic will play the women's singles qualifying at Wimbledon. She is ranked as the 21st player of the qualifying entry list. Women's qualifying will start Tuesday night.

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Men's singles No 1 Finn Tearney from Wellington is in singles and doubles and Queenstown's Ben McLachlan in doubles only at the US$25,000 Futures at Richmond, British Columbia. Tearney and Australian Greg Jones will play McLachlan and regular doubles partner Jarryd Chaplin, the tournament second seeds in the first round of doubles.

Another Kiwi, Rubin Statham is on the entry list for a Futures tournament in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the United States.

Several young Kiwi women are playing in events in other parts of the world. Nineteen-year-old Paige Hourigan from Wanganui won the doubles title at the Futures event in Antalya, Turkey last week and plays another event in the same area this week. Aucklander Jo Carswell is also in the same event.

Another Aucklander, Claudia Williams, 20, is in the main draw of singles and doubles at Grand Baie La Croisette, Mauritius, while 17-year-old Jade Lewis is playing in the Futures event in Belgium.

Of note is that New Plymouth's Ajeet Rai who won the Grade 1 doubles title at the Kundler German Juniors in Berline. The 17-year-old teamed with Dutch player Ryan Nijboer to take the title off a Russian-Czech partnership in straight sets in the final.