Flagstaff Hill and Glenlea set to begin Asia-Pacific Tennis League title defence tonight

FLAGSTAFF Hill Freighters are again shaping as a team to beat as they prepare to begin the defence of their historic Asia-Pacific Tennis League title tonight.

FLAGSTAFF Hill Freighters are again shaping as a team to beat as they prepare to begin the defence of their historic Asia-Pacific Tennis League title tonight.

The Freighters last year became the first SA side to win the event which sees club teams from across Australia and parts of Asia play for the right to represent their region at Melbourne Park during the Australian Open.

Coming into the Freighters line-up for the SA division opening round is WA player and former world No. 132 Jessica Moore.

In 2008, Moore reached the second round of the Australian Open and the US Open.

She still has a top-15 Australian ranking.

The Freighters have also recruited English woman Nicola Slater, who played in the Wimbledon doubles main draw this year.

Slater will have limited availability but team manager Ross Kauschke is confident she will qualify, should the Freighters make it through to the national finals.

The side has also retained gun Victorian players Viktorija Rajicic and Karolina Wlodarczac, while locals Petra Hule, Olivia Lukaszewicz, Nicole Collie and Theadora Kotsiou round out the roster.

'We're pretty happy with our squad," Kauschke said.

'We feel we have a fair bit of depth which you need to have in this competition.

''Moore and Rajicic are our one and two."

There will be five local rounds to decide who goes into the November 29 SA division final, to play for the right to represent the state in the national finals of the Tennis Australia competition. Matches feature an abbreviated scoring system and rules to make for aggressive tennis.

On the men's side, last year's SA division winner Glenlea will again be favourite.

The state's top 14-year-old Brock Meuris enters the squad featuring Wimbledon junior doubles champion Thanasi Kokkinakis, Todd Ley, Jack Schipanski and Pan Kokkinakis.

Matches begin at Memorial Drive tonight from 6.30pm.