Round one of the National Tennis League (NTL) kicks off 6.15pm tonight at the Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, North Adelaide.
There will be no time for cagey starts from any team, with the innovative and compact format of the NTL meaning each rubber will be crucial to a team’s chances of taking out the title and representing SA at the National Playoff being held in Melbourne during the 2012 Australian Open.
Three teams have nominated guest players, most notably is Woodville-Glengarry Wanderer’s Dejan Petrovic. Dejan was born in Australia, but represented Serbia at Davis Cup level as a player and coach. He is also a former coach of current world number 1 Novak Djokovic.
Despite being the maiden round of the NTL, the draw has some very interesting match-ups:
Men’s
- Rostrevor Raiders v Trinity Titans Former world doubles #16 Todd Perry has assembled a formidable squad including Colin Ebelthite and Jordan Kerr – they will however be tested first up by the perennially high-performing Trinity Titans. The ability of the Titans junior brigade, headed by Alex Bolt and Li Tu, to get wins on the board will be critical to their chances. Guest Player: Marcus Daniell (Rostervor Raiders) – From New Zealand and on the Pro Circuit tour, Daniell has an ATP ranking of 760.
- Woodville-Glengarry Wanderers v Broadview Tigers The Wanderers will be clearly bolstered by the inclusion of Serbian pro Dejan Petrovic, but Broadview have young gun Bradley Mousley, fresh from Pro Tour action to guide the team in what should be an evenly matched contest. Guest Player:
- Goodwood Saints v Somerton Park Sharks With a squad of players in peak form following recent tournaments, The Saints will be backing themselves against The Sharks. Chris O’Connell has been registered as a guest player for Somerton, and the ATP ranked New South Welshman could tip the balance in The Sharks favour. Guest Player: Chris O’Connell (Somerton Park Sharks) A strong performer on the Australian Ranking tournament scene and ranked 79 in the country.
Women’s
- Trinity Titans v Goodwood Saints Trinity Titans will be calling on their wealth of experience to overrun the talented youngsters from Goodwood Saints. The return to the local tennis scene of Nicki Barnet could be key to leading The Saints to a first up win.
- Golden Grove Lions v The Drive The Lions are a strong and well respected club but find themselves up against a formidable outfit from ‘The Drive’ who has bolstered their squad by recruiting Ainsley Fairhead and the Petrov sisters.
- Gully Servers v Flagstaff Freighters With a squad featuring four talented players under 18, the Gully Servers have a tough first up assignment against The Freighters who have a number of interstate recruits chasing NTL glory and the chance to play at the Australian Open.
All matches played simultaneously at Memorial Drive and Next Generation.
The 2011 National Tennis League is a team competition pilot involving South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia and is under the auspices of Tennis Australia.
The South Australian NTL has 5 regular season rounds culminating in a final on December 22nd at Memorial Drive.
More NTL details at www.tennis.com.au/sa.
For further media information please contact:
Clare Chapman, Tennis South Australia Tel: 0412 484 453
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