A preview of next month's Davis Cup tennis tie against Uzbekistan could be seen in the first round of the $US25,000 ($62,000) Gallagher Challenger in Hamilton starting today as possible New Zealand team member Danny Willman takes on Uzbek, Vadim Kutsenko.
The first round clash tonight will be difficult for the
New Zealander.
Kutsenko has an ATP entry ranking of 225th, while Willman, who turned 26 yesterday, is a relative newcomer to professional tennis and is ranked 952.
New Zealand Davis Cup veteran James Greenhalgh will be on court at the Waikato Tennis Centre against the in-form British Davis Cup player Arvind Parmar, who has a ranking of 234 compared to the 677 of Greenhalgh.
Parmar was a quarter-finalist last week in Perth. Greenhalgh made the quarter-finals of Hamilton in 2000 but has now started coaching alongside former national coach Peter Langsford in Auckland.
Top seed Petr Kralert, from the Czech Republic, is one of the new highly rated players on the circuit and is ranked 149 after winning the $US50,000 challenger at Ho Chi Minh city a month ago.
Kralert plays Gallagher International finalist Gouichi Motomura in the first round today.
In the other first-round matches today, fast improving Martin Lee, the third seed from Great Britain, meets Italian Filippo Messori, and former world No 62, John Van Lottum, currently ranked 184th, takes on the Czech Republic's Robin Vik.
Robert Cheyne, the sole Kiwi in the second round of qualifying singles, was beaten in two tiebreak sets by No 4 seed Johan Ortegren, of Sweden.
- NZPA
