Mehrts courted for star doubles | Canterbury Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Canterbury

Andrew Mehrtens' first big match of 2005 will be on the tennis court ? he will play doubles with Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles in their exhibition match in Christchurch.

Another personality is also being lined up for the mixed doubles at the February 3 exhibition at the Westpac Centre.

Mehrts, a former Canterbury tennis representative and provincial doubles champion, has kept his hand in on court this summer in business house competition.

"In the past when he partnered former world number ones Steffi Graf and John McEnroe, he's been right up to the task," said Canterbury Tennis executive director David Blackwell.

"Mehrts can hit the ball hard, but he's also very fast on court and magic around the net. We want to keep the doubles even, so the hunt is on to track down a celebrity of his ability."

Mehrts reckons he can fix that up for Blackwell. "I'll be holding all sorts of trials over the next few weeks with a few of my sporting colleagues who I know are pretty handy with a racket," he said. "Once they've gone through my rigorous process, they'll certainly be ready for the best in the world next month!"

Both Navratilova and Seles will be playing in New Zealand for the first time. Tickets are available from Ticketek, at $49 and $75 for adults and $15 for children.