Teenager Aishi Das battles hard but falls in ASB Classic qualifying

New Zealand’s Aishi Das put up a good battle in qualifying at the ASB Classic on Saturday, losing 6-3 6-4 to the vastly more experienced Veronika Erjavec from Slovenia.

Erjavec, who is ranked 105 in the world, won back to back WTA 125 tournaments in China late last year. Although she came through to win this match, the 18-year-old Das pushed her hard, often stepping in to take the ball early and put pressure on her opponent.

Das broke her opponent’s serve twice in the opening set, but wasn’t able to get into a good rhythm on her own service games. 

The second set was another that was dominated by returns of serve, with Das continuing to push Erjavec hard.

However, Das lost another tight set in front of a patriotic crowd on Centre Court at the Manuka Doctor Arena. 

Later in the day on Grandstand Court the other recipient of a qualifying wildcard, Elyse Tse, lost 6-0 6-1 to Belgium’s Sofia Costoulas, who is ranked 163 in the world.

The next New Zealander in singles action at the ASB Classic will be Monique Barry, who was given a wildcard to the main draw and she’ll be on court either Monday or Tuesday.

Tse will team up with Barry in the doubles, while Erin Routliffe and her new partner Asia Muhammad are the top seeds.