Tennis / Peer to face old nemesis in Bali

Shahar Peer will face world number 12 Marion Bartoli at the Tournament of Champions in Bali, after the Israeli tennis star was granted a visa despite vehement opposition from the Indonesian government.

"The Indonesian government was very kind. I think that any time sports can help in a positive way with politics it's very important, and I'm happy to be a part of it," the Jakarta Post quoted Peer as saying.

"I have big chances. All of us have big chances here," the player told the Jewish Chronicle.

Israel Tennis Association Chairman Dr. Ian Froman told the Chronicle he was relieved "a clash between sport and politics" had been avoided. "Despite strong opposition to the decision, the government didn't want to go head-to-head with the sport's governing bodies," he said. Indonesia does not have diplomatic ties with Israel.

An Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman said: "We don't have diplomatic ties with Israel but in certain cases, where we're hosting events that should have Israeli representation, we could grant them an entry visa."

On Sunday Peer posted the following comment on her Twitter account: "We r in heaven! It's sooo nice here in Bali. We r really enjoying here!"

The tournament, which starts today, features the 10 highest-ranked players who have captured at least one international tournament this year and are not participating in the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Qatar, along with two wild cards.