There will be a strong Canterbury influence in the Otago Open which begins tonight, with the top five seeds in the men coming from that province.
A former winner in Vaughan Kingi is seeded to meet Otago Indoor champion Oliver Petri in the final. Petri beat Kingi in a marathon match in the indoor event but Kingi has top seeding because of his superior national ranking system points.
Richard Hornby, Sam Poulter and Hugo Nurse-Strang take the next three places. Otago's hopes lie with professional coach Shaun Paringatai, who has entered after an absence of some years. His ability is undoubted but he would need to back up with four hard matches for ultimate success.
Stalwart Jeff Elliotte could make the visitors work, but his strength is in doubles these days. Campbell Higgins, a Tauranga student who plays in Dunedin during the academic year, has returned early and is a welcome addition to the draw.
The eight seeds have been given a bye into the round of 16, while 16 others will play tonight for the chance to join them there. The eight losers from tonight's round will drop back to the second section to meet those who entered that grade.
A disappointing entry of only six women will play a round robin in two sections before a straight final on Sunday. Libby Scott and Georgia Hume have been seeded, but the return of former Otago representative Paula Ferguson after time overseas will provide plenty of interest. Jessie Stevenson and Cecelia Maffey of Canterbury are also capable of an upset.
The absence of Sian and Hanna English, two of the country's most promising juniors, is disappointing, particularly with a view to Otago selection for the Southern League the following weekend. They are expected to continue playing club tennis in Christchurch.
The singles finals are expected to be held late Sunday morning or early afternoon, with doubles semifinals and finals to follow.
