Tennis: Nielsen wins first round

Kiwi No 2 Mark Nielsen won his first round singles match at the $US10,000 ($24,255) Futures tennis event in Blenheim yesterday.

Nielsen dispatched Emin Agaev 6-4 7-6 (7-4) of Azerbaijan, taking just under two hours to win after trailing for much of the second set. Australian Open junior finalist Todd Reid beat fourth seed and fellow Australian David McNamara 6-4 6-4. The tournament runs until Saturday. The second Futures event will be staged in Christchurch next week, and the third at North Harbour.

- NZPA