21 October 2011 | Tennis SA

Written by Reece Homfray, Advertiser

JUNIOR Wimbledon champion Luke Saville and Barbados Davis Cup player Haydn Lewis headline the inaugural National Tennis League in Adelaide next month.

Saville has signed with Somerton Park Sharks while Lewis – who has a 23-6 Davis Cup record – will play for Woodville-Glengarry Wanderers. The new league will involve Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia, with finalists to meet at Melbourne Park during the Australian Open in January.

The WA league features world No. 80 Matthew Ebden, who lost to superstar Andy Murray in the Shanghai Masters quarter finals last week. The SA division consists of six men’s and women’s teams playing a round-robin format before finals at Memorial Drive on December 22.

Tennis SA chief executive Alistair MacDonald, a key driver of the new competition, said there was “genuine excitement” among teams.

“I think that’s from the opportunity to play during the second week of the Australian Open,” MacDonald said.

“We’ve got good teams with very strong lists.”

Saville, 17, will return from a junior tournament in Japan for round one under lights at Millswood on November 3. “It’s great to have Luke on board,” MacDonald said.

Players will be paid weekly according to their results. Winning men’s and women’s teams will get $4000.

The long-term vision is for the NTL to expand to an Asian-Australian league with franchised teams.