Asia's number two player Wang Yeu-tzuoo says the region needs to improve facilities available to its promising youngsters if it wants men to find success on the tennis circuit.

Currently, Asia has only two men in the top 100, Wang at 98 and Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan, ranked 50.

"It is not easy for players in Asia," he said.

"Asia is not like the United States or Europe, it is not easy for us to produce good players," the Taiwanese star said.

"The weather is not conducive and the facilities are not so good. They need to be improved. We need to think of the next generation, but you never know, it might happen."

He was disappointed with Asia's showing at the Australian Open where he was the last of the five Asian men in the draw to fall, losing in the second round to Jarkko Nieminen of Finland.

But he said it could have been different.

"I had chances and Paradorn played very well on Tuesday and had a match point. We could have won," he said.

Paradon had lost out to German Nicolas Kiefer, seeded 22, in the opening round. The German won a tight battle in five sets.

Wang was his own worst enemy on court yesterday. He committed 53 unforced errors to the 26th seed's 23, which proved to be his undoing.

"I had chances to win but Nieminen is such a good player. He has a lot of confidence and doesn't make too many errors," said Wang.

"I played but well but simply didn't convert the opportunities I had."

Asia's women's singles campaign gathers steam again today when India's Sania Mirza, seeded 32, takes on Michaela Krajicek of the Netherlands.

Should she come through that test, there is the prospect of a meeting with number three seed Amelie Mauresmo of France.

China's Yan Zi, who knocked out 11th seeded Nathalie Dechy in the first round, will pit her wits against Sybille Bammer of Austria while Japan's Aiko Nakamura takes on 31st seed Gisela Dulko of Argentina.

Nakamura's compatriot Shinobu Asagoe has a tough task against the seventh seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland but the highlight of the day will be the battle between China's Yuan Meng and second seed Kim Clijsters of Belgium.

While Asian women have been making their mark on the game in the singles, so too have their doubles pairings, which was where the focus lay yesterday.

The region has had success in this form of the game, most notably through Indians Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, previous winners of the French Open and Wimbledon.

Both have also had mixed doubles success at grand slams.

They have now split up and China has taken up the mantle of Asia's doubles kingpins with the pairings of Li Ting and Sun Tiantian and Li Na and Peng Shuai enjoying success over the past two years.

Li and Sun, the 16th seeds who won an historic gold medal for China at the Athens Olympics, got their campaign for a first-ever grand slam triumph underway with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over Yulia Beygelzimer of Ukraine and Mervana Jugic-Salkic of Bosnia.

Li Na and Peng, meanwhile, cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Emilia Salerni of Argentina and Venezuela's Milagros Sequera.

Elsewhere, Taiwan's Janet Lee, partnering Amy Frazier of the United States, easily accounted for Latvia's Liga Dekmeijere and Argentinian Mariana Diaz-Oliva 6-2, 6-0.

Among other Asians in the doubles, Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn - knocked out of the singles on Tuesday - and Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei beat Maria Domachowska of Poland and Italy's Roberta Vinci later in the day.

But Nakamura and Cho Yoon-jeong of South Korea went down in straight sets to Severeine Bremond of France and Selima Sfar of Tunisia.

Japan's Rita Fujiwara and Taiwan's Chuang Chia-Jung lost to Estonia's Maret Ani and Andreea Vanc of Romania.

India's Paes, meanwhile, is teamed up with Martin Damm of the Czech Republic in the men's doubles and the seventh seeds emerged triumphant yesterday from their clash with Austrians Peter Luczak and Shannon Nettle.

(AFP)