Tracey O’Connor has qualified for the main draw of the US$10000 ITF Women’s Circuit tournament at Hiroshima, Japan. O’Connor won a close three set match in the first round of qualifying and followed up with an easy 6-1 6-2 victory to earn a spot in the main draw. She plays fellow qualifier Chiaki Okadaue (Jpn) in the first round.

Marina Erakovic was forced to retire hurt in her US Open Junior Girls’ Singles quarter-final due to a back injury. Erakovic was trailing 2-5 in the first set against world number one ranked junior Victoria Azarenka when she decided to call it quits. It is a disappointing end to another successful Grand Slam event for Erakovic who is still eligible to compete in the juniors next year if she chooses.

Tracey O’Connor competed well in the first set against Beti Sekulovski (Aus), but fell away in the second, to lose 6-4 6-2 in the second round of the GS Yuasa Open at Kyoto, Japan. The pair later combined to register a straight sets victory in the first round of the doubles.

Marina Erakovic is through to the quarter-finals of the US Open Junior Girls’ Singles for the second straight year. Erakovic’s true grit and determination carried her to victory against 16 year old American hotshot Vania King. Marina started the match well but experienced back problems early in the second set. Firing six aces, with the fastest serve clocked at 112 mph, Erakovic played through the pain barrier to survive a third set tie-breaker for a 6-3 3-6 7-6(2) triumph and a place in the quarters – equalling her previous best performance at a Junior Grand Slam. In the quarters, Marina faces top seed Victoria Azarenka from Belarus who is currently the number one junior in the world. Azarenka defeated Marina in straight sets in the quarters of the Australian Juniors earlier this year and then went on to claim the title. Concerns over Marina’s back injury prompted the defending champion to default her quarter-final doubles match later in the day to allow her more recovery time before tomorrow’s singles.