25 Sep SEEDS AND DRAW ANNOUNCED FOR SA SPRING OPEN

Monday, 23 September 2019, Johannesburg, South Africa – Spearheading the South African challenge in the women’s singles of the $15 000 ITF Transition Tour event will be Chanel Simmonds, the country’s top world ranked player (world ranked 361), who is seeded number 1.

Behind Simmonds is Dutch world number 768 Merel Hodt and India’s Zeel Desai seeded second and third respectively.

Simmonds will open her campaign against compatriot Ntokozo Zungu on Tuesday.

The seeds and draw for the inaugural SA Spring Open torunament, were announced on Monday.

In the men’s singles, top seed Benjamin Lock of Zimbabwe will play South African qualifier David Alec Backley in round one and is seeded to meet countryman Takanyi Garanganga (seeded no.3) in the semi-finals.

Lock can look forward to a strong final challenge in second seed David Pichler from Austria, should the seedings play out as expected.

The tournament, a combined $15 000 ITF Transition Tour and wheelchair tennis Grade II tournament, is staged in Johannesburg at the Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, with the finals scheduled for September 29.

The wheelchair tennis event will get underway on Wednesday.

SA Spring Open seeds:

MEN

1 Benjamin Lock (ZIM)

2 David Pichler (AUT)

3 Takanyi Garanganga (ZIM)

4 Alexander Donski (BUL)

5 Hamidreza Nadaf (IRI)

6 Lance-Pierre Du Toit (RSA)

7 Marco Brugnerotto (ITA)

8 Mehluli Sibanda (ZIM)

WOMEN

1 Chanel Simmonds (RSA)

2 Merel Hoedt (NED)

3 Zeel Desai (IND)

4 Tamara Barad Itzhaki (ISR)

5 Caroline Romeo (FRA)

6 Ashmitha Easwaramurthi (IND)

7 Yvonne Neiwirth (AUT)

8 Tina Smith (AUS)