The appearance of several students from outside the province has given the Otago Open this weekend a lift in novelty value.
There are no fewer than 15 players registered elsewhere among the 39 entrants and the visitors are among the favourites.
Some men’s matches will be played tonight to reduce the workload tomorrow but the appearance of the leading seeds will begin early tomorrow.
The men’s singles has drawn a field of 27 but the withdrawal through injury of Ryan Eggers and Jeff Elliotte, both division one Otago reps, has reduced local hopes. Eggers is the doubles titleholder with Paddy Ou.
Several juniors, some as young as 14, have entered — an encouraging sign for the future on the men’s side.
Top seeding has gone to Alex Calder, a former national junior champion, from Wellington. His ranking is significantly higher than any locals but he is a first-year student and has not played a match for some time.
Ou and Mitchell Sizemore, last year’s finalists, take second and third seedings and there is nothing between them on national rankings.
Carlos Reid fills fourth spot and is in the same section of the draw as Calder.
However, Charlie Tomlinson, the fifth seed, another first-year student and No1 at Auckland Grammar last year, Josh McDermott (Queenstown), sixth seed, Michael Wilson, from Wellington, and Henry Neas, from Nelson, would not surprise if they found a semifinal place.
The men’s semis are scheduled for Sunday at 9am, and the final is to be held after the conclusion of the women’s final, which is set for 10.30am.
The women’s draw is dominated by national junior representative Emilia Price, from Queenstown, and Megan Rogers, now of Wanaka, but previously Waikato. First seeding goes to Price, based on national rankings, but Rogers beat her in the Queenstown Open final.
An interesting entrant is Maren Kronsbein, a German exchange student.
She first meets the promising Mackenzie Phillips, from North Otago.
The disappointment is that only eight have entered and only two are Otago-based. Libby Scott, back from a college career in the United State, and titleholder Rileigh Fields have other commitments.
Calder and Wilson are top doubles seeds and last year’s finalists, Reid and Sizemore, are second and they are down to meet dangerous floaters McDermott and Tomlinson in the semis. Ou will pair with Southlander Thomas Chiang, who attends Otago Boys’ High School.
The hottest favourites of the weekend must be Price and Rogers to win the doubles, but there will be great interest in the appearance of Gabby Grady, who was also a former national junior champion, and is now mentoring Phillips.
Grady has not played competitively for some time while concentrating on her career and will play only doubles.
