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Tennis Australia
Australians Alicia Molik and Jelena Dokic have won through the qualifying rounds in Prague and Fes respectively. It was a tough run for Dokic, who hasn't played since her second round loss in the Australian Open qualifiers in January. She received a wildcard into the qualifying rounds of the Grand Prix de SAR La Princesse Lalla Meryem in Fes, Morocco. Dokic won all three of her qualiying rounds, including wins over the No.6 seed Michelle Larcherde Brito and the No.3 seed Johanna Larsson to claim her place in the main draw. Dokic weathered an early challenge from Johansson, losing the first set 1-6 but bounced back to take the final two sets 6-2 6-3. She will now face Hungarian Greta Arn in the first round. Ranked 143 in the world, Arn and Dokic have met twice before – at Wimbledon in 2000 and the US Open in 2002. Dokic has triumphed both times in straight sets. For Molik it was an up and down day at the ECM Prague Open. Ranked No.1 in the qualifying draw, Molik was stretched to three sets in two out of her three matches on her way to qualifying. The downside was losing her first round doubles match with fellow Aussie Bryanne Stewart 6-0 6-4 to unseeded pair Darya Kustova (BLR) and Alicja Rosoloska (POL). Molik was put to the test in her final match, losing the first set to Czech Andrea Hlavackova 5-7. But the No.1 seed bounced back to snatch the final two sets 7-5 6-4 to cement her place in the main draw. Molik will play Czech wildcard Karolina Pliskova in the first round on centre court on Tuesday. A win there will set up a meeting with No.8 seed Kaia Kinepi. Pliskova has a career-high ranking of 733, which the 16 year old achieved in December 2007. This will be the pair's first meeting. Meanwhile in Barcelona, Australian Peter Luczak will play Italian Potito Starace in the first round of the Open Sabadell Atlantico. Ranked No.93 to Starace's 45, this will be the pair's second meeting – Starace won the first in Acapulco on clay earlier this year. If Luczak can find a way past the Italian he will come face to face with No.1 seed and claycourt specialist Rafael Nadal in the second round.
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