New names will be added to the honours board after the 127th Otago Open this weekend.
No previous winners are among the 41 hopefuls in a year in which no national or international stars have entered, but, with all eight seeds in the men within a very narrow range in the national grading system, a winner is difficult to predict.
Match fitness will be an issue, with up to five singles and three doubles to be played in just two days.
The men's top eight are all from outside provinces, although some have played for Otago as an adopted province. No 1 seed is Alex Low, from Nelson. He was runner-up to Janos Manyai, the Hungarian, in the Otago Indoor Open, and is a member of the winning club team, Cosy Dell, from last season. Sam Poulter, the second seed from North Harbour, is a previous runner-up. Aaron Hicks from Auckland is third seed, and completes a trio separated by only five ranking points, in a system where gaps in the hundreds mean little.
The fourth seed is Cantabrian Adam Hornby, recently a leading national junior. The next four seeds are Taylor Quirk (Wanganui), Durdamya Munibhargav (Auckland), Mattias Wieland (Canterbury) and Jonathan Wilson (Wellington). Only Wilson will have a first-round match, while the top seven have a bye.
Southern hopes will be with Miki Nobuzawa, a national junior representative from Queenstown, and Ryan Eggers from Balclutha, who has the ability to mix up any player not on top form.
There are several other little-known students, although with limited national rankings, who could have the skills to cause an upset.
The women's title, without Libby Scott for the first time in many of years, should fall to rising star Georgia Hume, who has been seeded top, and has a smooth path to the final. She was runner-up last year.
Former Southern junior rep Scarlett Cuthill was in good form when she reassumed club tennis last weekend, and her likely match-up with Jessie Stevenson, a current national junior teams' event titleholder, in the semifinals, looms as interesting.
Both doubles titles are wide open with several new pairings and no established favourites. Top seedings have gone to Low and James Leggett (Marlborough) in the men and Cuthill and Nicky Wallace (North Otago) in the women. Play begins at Logan Park at 8.45 this morning. Finals are expected from tomorrow morning in the women and early afternoon for men.
