Pe’er, Sela begin quest for local title

Dudi Sela to begin his participation in the Israel tennis championships when he faces Alon Alya in 2nd round in Ra’anana.

By ALLON SINAI
Dudi Sela 311 (photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
Dudi Sela 311
(photo credit: Asaf Kliger)
Shahar Pe’er and Dudi Sela will begin their participation at the Israel tennis championships in Ra’anana on Tuesday.
Pe’er, the five-time defending champion, will face Ya’ar Shafir in the first match of the day on center court and will be looking to implement some of the elements she has been working on in recent weeks in preparation for the start of the 2012 season.
“I’m very happy to be playing in the Israel championships,” Pe’er said. “I’ve spent the last five weeks training in Miami and this tournament will be another good preparation for the start of the season. This is an excellent opportunity for the fans in Israel to come and see the local players in action.”
The men’s No.1 seed, Sela, will face Alon Aliya in the second match of the day after the latter defeated Daniel Ya’akobi 6-2, 6-4 in the first round on Monday.
Julia Glushko, who gave Pe’er a run for her money in last year’s final, plays Hila Mizrahi, with defending men’s champion Amir Weintraub, who stunned Sela in 2010, to come up against Nikita Suifer.