Glushko in doubt for Wellington Open

Organisers of the Wellington Tennis Open will wait with interest to see if their top seeded female will be around to play for the title.

Julia Glushko, of Israel, is ranked 250th in the world, having had a career high of 79, but is playing in a professional event in Australia.

Her winning run there has postponed her arrival in Wellington, and could force her to pull out should she continue her top form.

Glushko’s performances in Australia have also had an impact on the men’s draw, with her coach, former New Zealand Davis Cup player Sebastian Lavie, pulling out due to her winning run.

Should Glushko lose in Australia, she will be a firm favourite for the Wellington Open title. She reached the third round of the 2013 US Open and 2014 French Open, and has a number of victories against top 25 ranked players.

Her resume includes eight ITF singles titles and 11 ITF double titles.

If she is able to play in Wellington, a likely semifinal clash would pit the Israeli against Waikato teenager Nina Paripovich, while Wellington junior Ivy Mclean or Southland’s Emilia Price should play second seed Leela Beattie in the other semi.

The men’s draw is headlined by top seed Rubin Statham, although he faces stiff competition.

Ranked at 382 in the world, Statham has been playing his tennis in Australia and is using the Wellington Open as a warmup for New Zealand’s Davis Cup tie against South Korea in Auckland next week.

Marcus Daniell is also in the tournament, boasting a career-high world doubles ranking of 42 coming into the tournament.

He’s coming from Miami, and will also play for New Zealand in the Davis Cup next week.

Statham is likely to face off with either Wellington’s Olly Sadler or Taranaki junior Ajeet Rai in the semifinals, while Auckland-based Brit Rhett Purcell should face Daniell or Jaden Grinter in the other semifinal.

Early-round matches begin today, with the finals held on Sunday indoors at the Renouf Tennis Centre from 11am.