COMPETING in a major tennis tournament for the first time would bring jitters to most players, but that wasn’t the case for rising star Kairangi Vano.
Vano and partner Shona Lee put up a big fight in front of a very supportive home crowd but ended losing the match to an East European pair 6-3, 6-4.
The 19-year-old, who has previously played in the singles and doubles qualifying rounds of the ASB Classic without progressing into the main draw, says Tuesday’s match was exciting and there were opportunities, but they failed to take their chances.
“The match was there for the taking but the short deuces got us in the end,” says Vano. At first we were down 3-0, but we were able to climb back to 3-3 and we thought we could do this. We just didn’t take our chances. I guess it came down to experience in the end.”
She says the Kiwi crowd’s encouragement really helped as it lifted both her and Lee to push harder.
“I wasn’t really nervous because I’ve played qualifying rounds before and the crowds there are usually the same as in the draw. But there was a huge turnout, a lot more people than I expected and they were behind us all the way,” says Vano.
“It really helped so my partner and I just went out and had fun and went for it.
“It’s good to get experience of playing in front of that sort of crowd, because who knows, I could be playing in a tournament like the Aussie Open, which draws three times bigger crowds.”
Despite the loss, the match has encouraged Vano that she could have a good crack on the international stage, but she also realises to do so she’s going to need significant financial support.
2008 was her first year on the WTA Tour, but financial difficulty forced Vano to travel without a coach.
Vano has the talent and mental attitude to make her way on the tour, but without the money rolling in to get her around the tour and to have a coach by her side, she’s concerned she might have to choose another path.
“Being on the tour was financially difficult,” says Vano.
“I travelled mainly without a coach, so it was hard going into Asia on my own. I want to get out there and play, but if there’s no funding available then I’ll just have to choose another career because it’s just too hard.”
