Wellington, 16 November 2010 | NZPA

Sally Peers suffered an early setback to her Australian Open build up when beaten by world No.475-ranked compatriot Monika Wejnert in the first round of a Challenger tournament in Wellington.

Nineteen-year-old Victorian Peers shot to prominence when she charged through the qualifying tournament then whipped world number 54 Aleksandra Wozniak 6-0 6-1 in the first round of this year’s US Open before falling to champion Kim Clijsters.

Looking to improve her world ranking of 155 ahead of January’s Australian Open, second seed Peers was eliminated by Wejnert in a hard-fought three-setter, 2-6 6-4 7-5 on Tuesday.