Eastern Harbour and Balmacewen took convincing wins from the first round of Dunedin premier club tennis on Tuesday night.
Led by a battling 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 win by Conrad Wong over the higher-ranked Dwayne Cleugh, Balmacewen surprised last year's titleholder Mornington-Roslyn by the convincing 5-1. scoreline.
Wong showed his liking for the slow indoor surface with his heavy topspin groundstrokes.
Dean Portman battled to a 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 win over newcomer Nick Dalziel, and Matt White and Hee Bum completed an unexpected singles whitewash.
Eastern Harbour welcomed back Nathan Carter as it beat St Clair 6-0.
After a slow start, Carter beat Darryl Paterson 6-2, 6-0, using a blazing backhand to end many points.
His overseas experience has enhanced his game markedly.
Former Canterbury player Alan de Zwart was too consistent for Mike Smith in three sets and Phil Mirfin's solid all-court game was valuable in easy singles and doubles wins.
The women's competition has been delayed as talks continue to improve the strength and depth of teams.
