A novel format will be used to promote an early-season mini tournament for the top Otago players on Sunday.
Labelled the "southern shootout" to take place at "high noon", the format involves a series of sudden-death match tiebreaks (first to 10) and the winning prize money will go on a winner-takes-all basis.
Qualifying rounds will be held from 11am to find a top six in men and top four in women, with the main event being held on a show court at Logan Park from noon.
Eight of Otago’s top nine ranked players will be available in the men, although several potential student women entrants, some former national junior representatives, have not committed.
Three men have been seeded into the main draw: Aaron Hicks, Mitchell Sizemore and Paddy Ou, who are all ranked as S2.
The S1 grade is for fulltime touring professionals.
The next three men, Carlos Reid, Ryan Eggers and Hamish Low, are ranked at S3 and get a bye in qualifying, while another dozen men will play knockout tiebreaks to determine who plays them for a spot in the top six.
The top six will play two round robins of three players to make up semifinalists.
The women, whose top-ranked player Jessie Stevenson is an S4, have Charlotte Booth, an ex-Auckland junior representative, and Claudia Maddren, a former North Harbour junior, as the next highest ranked, and will play knockout from the semifinals.
Organiser Ahmad Abdul-Rahman has promised "no boring bits in this brand new thrilling event" and has ensured constant action using ball boys and girls, along with spot prizes for competitions such as guessing the total number of aces.
The main event is timed to finish by 3pm.
