19 January 2014 | Tennis ACT

Canberra Velocity has been forced to alter its line-ups for the national finals of the Asia-Pacific Tennis League which starts tomorrow.

Velocity’s men team will be without rising star Nick Kyrgios, who will miss the finals in order to be 100 per cent fit for Australia’s first round Davis Cup tie against France, and the women’s team has been forced to add South African Chanelle Scheepers as its wildcard player for the finals.

Scheepers, currently ranked 79 in the world, will join the team after the late withdrawal of Nicole Hoynaski, who last week took up a tennis scholarship at an American university.

With a career-high 37 in singles and 45 in doubles, Scheepers will be a valuable addition to the Velocity team which commences its finals campaign against Korea (So Jung Kim, ranked 514, and Ji Hee Choi, 620) at Melbourne Park tomorrow.

Scheepers broke into the top 100 in 2010 when she qualified for the French Open and made it through to the fourth round. She has also reached the third round at the Australian Open and the US Open.

The 29-year-old right-hander-hander will join Canberra’s Alison Bai and Ashley Keir, and NSW baseliner Tyra Calderwood in the team which has been seeded fourth for the finals.

Team manager Lauren Simpson said Scheepers would give the team valuable experience.

“It’s disappointing to lose Nicole who has been with the team from the beginning, but Chanelle’s a very good all-round player, and will add great depth and experience to our team,” she said.

Once again Alex Bolt will spearhead Velocity’s men’s team against third-seeds Kooyong Classics, led by 287-ranked Rubin Statham, Andrew Whittington (368), and John Peers, ranked 27 in doubles.

Bolt, ranked 471 in the world, will team with Jake Eames, James Frawley, Robert Howe and former professional Alun Jones.

The 20-year-old left-hander from South Australia reached the third round of the men’s doubles at the Australian Open with Whittington, his ATL opponent tomorrow.

While the loss of Kyrgios will be felt, team manager Alun Jones said his team has shown it can beat more fancied opponents.

“On paper they have a stronger team than us, however we proved in the conference final that we can beat anyone,” he said. “We’ve been training hard, the boys are well-prepared and ready to go.”