New Zealand tennis prodigy Marina Erakovic is starting to turn heads.

The teenage sensation will hit up with women's tennis legend Monica
Seles in Auckland this morning in an impromptu practice session.

Erakovic is also creating a stir in Wellington with a flurry of phone
calls to organisers of the US$10,000 women's international futures
tournament at the Renouf Tennis Centre.

The 16-year-old wildcard will arrive in the capital this afternoon
two days after winning her second junior grand slam doubles title at
the Australian Open.

Erakovic's coach and former Wimbledon finalist Chris Lewis said last
night the date with Seles would be a massive surprise for his star
pupil.

"I have not spoken to Marina, I don't think she even knows yet. It's
all come about in the last 24 hours. I've told her dad (Mladen) and
he will probably ring her in Australia. She'll be ecstatic because
she loves Monica's game, she's her favourite player."

Seles, a nine-time grand slam winner with 53 WTA singles titles, is
in New Zealand for an exhibition singles match against Martina
Navratilova in Christchurch.

The news will only add to the excitement already building ahead of
Erakovic's arrival in Wellington.

"We've had quite a number of phone calls from the public asking if
she is playing," ASB International tournament director Kevin Wilson
said yesterday.

"It's given us an ideal buildup."

Wilson expects Erakovic to pull in record crowds for the tournament's
eighth year potentially doubling the 2000-2500 that normally attend
provided she reached the finals on Sunday.

Erakovic will have the rest of the field looking over their
shoulders.

"You can imagine how the other players will feel when we do the draw
after the pro-am now. It doesn't matter if you are seeded one or
eight you don't want to play her first up," Wilson said.

Erakovic will take the court on Wednesday in the first round of
singles and will partner former champion Lauren Breadmore, of
Australia, in the doubles.

"She made the semifinals of the singles last year and since then
she's won two grand slams back to back with different doubles
partners. She's obviously telling us something about her talent,"
Wilson said.

At the Australian Open Erakovic teamed up with Victoria Azarenka, of
Belarus, to make short work of Nikola Frankova (Czech Republic) and
Agnes Szavay (Hungary).

The second seeds dropped just one set on their way to the title and
took just 43 minutes for their 6-0, 6-2 win. It was Erakovic's second
junior grand slam doubles title in a row after she won at the US Open
last year with Michaella Krajicek. But in Australia she lost to
Azarenka in the quarter-finals of the singles.

Lewis said Erakovic's doubles success did not change her focus, which
was raising her ITF singles rankings as she moved from the junior to
senior tour.

"I would like to see her get her ranking as high as possible as
quickly as possible," he said. "That's why she is playing in
tournaments where she can hopefully do well such as Wellington and
Blenheim."

Erakovic marked her WTA senior debut with a win at the ASB Classic in
Auckland earlier this month.