Eleni Daniilidou replaces Vera Zvonareva in the ASB Classic draw – Tennis News
World number 96, Vera Zvonareva, aired depressing news about her injury on the eve of Thursday. She is still struggling to recover from the chronic shoulder injury. Moreover, the Russian star twisted her left ankle in the practice
session that inflated the pain and forced her to schedule a sudden trip to Melbourne for an MRI. In a press-release the 28-year-old Russian said, “I could barely walk. It was painful right away and I thought, 'Oh my God, I have to pack my bags and go home.
I have no expectations at the moment. Hopefully it is not as bad as it looks right now.”
For the stated reason, the former world number two will not take part in the ASB Classic at Auckland in 2013. However, the good news is that she is replaced by a 100th ranked Grecian star, Eleni Daniilidou, who showed
immense stamina and courage to improve her record from the previous season. The former world number 14 won titles at Auckland in 2003 and 2004.
Daniilidou will be glad to add another trophy to her tally at the age of 30. However, it will take a special performance from the Grecian number one to record an unbeaten run at a platform that will feature the likes of Agnieszka
Radwanska (ranked fourth), Julia Goerges (ranked 18), Sorana Cirstea (ranked 27) and Yaroslava Shvedova (ranked 29). Other players who will look to defy the odds and register upsets will include the likes of Yanina Wickmayer, Jie Zheng, Christina McHale, Mona
Barthel, Simona Halep, Heather Watson, Kirsten Flipkens, Petra Cetkovska, Romina Oprandi, Magdalena Rybarikova, Kiki Bertens, Pauline Parmentier, Marina Erakovic, Arantxa Rus, Elena Vesnina, Jamie Hampton, Johanna Larsson, Kristina Mladenovic and Polona Hercog.
Former world number two, Svetlana Kuznetsova, who is making a return to the tennis world after a major injury layoff that kept her out of action for the latter half of the 2012 season, will also be a part of the draw. At the moment,
no Kiwi player has managed to earn a place in a local event. However, the supporters and Federation are confident that the Tournament Director, Karl Budge, will name at least one local athlete as a wildcard entrant in the following week.
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