Young tennis star Heather Watson will miss the season's opening tournament in Auckland after suffering an injury setback.

The 19-year-old, ranked as Britain's number three and 92 in the world, has pulled out of the ASB Classic after spraining her ankle.

She wrote on her Facebook page: "Unfortunately I will not be playing in Auckland because I sprained my ankle badly.

"It's very frustrating, but Auckland is one of my favourite tournaments of the year and I'm looking forward to playing it next year because I love the event."

Watson turned professional in 2009.