Gallery | Goulburn Valley Open and Junior Championships steam through the weekend with flurry of action

Jan 5, 2025

John Longridge swung his way to the men’s tier 1 decider. Photos: Megan Fisher Photo by Megan Fisher

Goulburn Murray Lawn and Shepparton District tennis associations may be on hiatus, but the sport itself was front and centre at the weekend.

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Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club welcomed the annual Goulburn Valley Open and Junior Tournament across four furious days of serves and smashes starting on Thursday.

Across more than 30 divisions and age ranges, some threw their hats in as many rings as possible.

There were plenty of local hopes scattered about, with the likes of regular league player Hope Curtis McDonald heavily involved, meanwhile youngster Matilda Falzon was among a handful who took the court on four or even five different occasions that day, with one junior featuring in six different matches on Friday.

It’s a spectacle which brings hopefuls from far and wide, with some decorated past winners of the event.

With that in mind, the logistics of this year’s edition mercifully ran far more smoothly than the 2024 version, which was delayed multiple times due to rain and the threat of flooding in the region.

Junior competition wrapped up across a scorching Saturday, with Dex Taylor claiming honours in the under-16 boys’ singles final over Alistair Cairns in a 7-6(5), 7-6(3) epic that went for more than two-and-a-half hours.

Meanwhile, Kayla Coster found herself top of the pops in her under-16 girls’ round-robin group despite being pushed the distance by Annie Simmonds in the finale, prevailing in a third set tiebreak 11-9.