With the resumption of tennis for the season, it was evident that all juniors in attendance were extremely pleased to be back on the courts.
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With hot conditions predicted, the final group of Hot Shots and Coaching was not held, and participants from these groups joined the other sessions.
This meant that every inch of the courts was being used.
New Club Coach Grant Kendall was very impressed with the enthusiasm and ability of the players in his coaching groups.
Grant brings a wealth of experience and is keen to get our juniors hitting more than once a week.
Please contact Grant if your child would like some mid-week coaching to further improve their game.
Premier League tennis was back for a new season, with four teams of 14 players battling it out for supremacy.
Three sets are played each week; however, due to the heat, only doubles were played this round.
The rallies in the matches had to be seen to be believed, with many encounters going right down to the wire.
In the first match, Demons proved too consistent, defeating Blues 13 sets to 8.
Best for the Demons were Thomas Lawrence and Eliza Lawrence, who won all three of their sets, while for the Blues Sam Kennedy and Ernie Buerckner won all of their matches.
In the other rubber it was again close, with Power winning 12 sets to 9 over Saints. For Power, Ed Withers, Ella Knight, and Lily Leslie were each undefeated for the morning.
The ladder after Round 1 is Demons 17, Power 16, Saints 9, Blues 8.
This week, Demons will play Saints, while Power will take on Blues.
Younger players participating in Match Play also completed three doubles sets. Jack Farr and Reggie Jones were the standout performers, winning all three of their matches.
Thursday Ladies Tennis
Season Two of Thursday Ladies Tennis commenced last week and will run for six weeks.
Having two seasons for the ladies has proven very successful, as players do not have to commit for three or four months.
The standard of tennis was high, considering many participants had not picked up a racquet since December.
In the first match of the night, Joint defeated Tomljanovic 4 sets to 2. The sets were extremely close, highlighted by both teams finishing on 27 games apiece.
Nicole Dowling was named player of the night after winning all of her sets.
Hon’s players have clearly been practising, as they defeated Birrell 5 sets to 1. Amy Lairson and Emma Pearce were Hon’s best performers, not dropping a set for the night.
Jones and Inglis had a fantastic battle, with Jones prevailing 4 sets to 2. Club legend Ellen Bruce played very well, winning all of her matches.
The ladder after Round 1 is Hon 7, Jones 6, Joint 5, Hunter 4, Tomljanovic 3, Inglis 2, Birrell 1.
Tuesday Men’s Tennis
The Tuesday Men’s Tennis competition resumed in glorious conditions. With a few rounds missed recently, some players struggled early before finding their rhythm and producing tennis reminiscent of what has been seen on television of late.
Borg and Laver had a good battle before the class of Borg prevailed to win 4 sets to 2. In great form was Borg skipper Mike Lairson, who won all of his matches.
Federer recorded a 6 sets to 0 win over Djokovic, although this included three 7–6 sets and two 6–5 sets, highlighting how unlucky Djokovic was. Damian Cook, Shane Forge, Brendan Nunn, and Nick Kyrgios were all in great form for Federer.
Match of the round was Lendl versus Nadal. Each team won three sets apiece before Lendl claimed the night by two games. Josh Buerckner was best on court with three wins.
Agassi recorded a 5 sets to 1 win over McEnroe. Veterans Tim Clarke and Simon De Oliveira played very well, winning all of their sets, including several tie-breakers.
Sampras also claimed a 5 sets to 1 victory over Connors, with Andrew Beggs winning all of his sets to be named man of the match.
The final round of the night saw another 5 to 1 scoreline, with Becker defeating Wilander. Phil Cairns and Matt Prestage starred, winning all of their sets.
The ladder after Round 10 is Edberg 54, Becker 53, Lendl 47, Borg 46, Laver 42, Nadal 40, Agassi 38, Sampras 37, Federer 36, Wilander 33, Connors 32, Djokovic 31, McEnroe 29.
Goulburn Murray Tennis
With extreme heat conditions, most matches in the Goulburn Murray Tennis Association were cancelled over the weekend.
Yarrawonga’s Division 3 team was among the few teams to take the court, making the trip to Euroa on a very warm day.
With another debutant in Jenny Buerckner, Yarrawonga set out aiming for a win. This goal was achieved in comprehensive fashion, claiming a 6 sets to 3 victory.
Yarrawonga’s men’s combination of Ash Wheaton, Josh Buerckner, and Xavier Chessells combined well to win all of the men’s doubles.
Euroa fought back to win two of the three ladies’ doubles, with Jenny Buerckner and Angela Mitchell winning for the visitors.
Yarrawonga won two of the three mixed sets, with Xavier Chessells and Elli Buerckner narrowly losing in a tie-breaker.
Wilby and District Tennis
The iconic Wilby and District Tennis Association resumed on the weekend, with all matches played on Friday night.
Fantastic tennis was on display, combined with a great social atmosphere. With most teams featuring a substantial number of juniors, the future of tennis in our region looks very healthy.
The top two teams, Telford and Tungamah, played at Yarrawonga in a match that could well be a Grand Final preview.
Both teams’ men had a great battle, with Telford sneaking home 4 sets to 2, highlighted by skipper Andrew Banks winning all of his sets.
A similar scoreline occurred in the ladies’ matches, with no player winning all of their sets, showing how close the competition was.
The mixed sets were shared two apiece, with Tungamah winning by two games. Overall, Telford finished ahead by two games to take six points for the night, with Tungamah earning two.
Burramine and Wilby also played at Yarrawonga and enjoyed their evening. In the men’s matches, Burramine proved too strong, winning 5 sets to 1, with Bailey Lewis and Anthony Nieuwenhout both winning all of their matches.
Burramine also claimed the ladies’ matches 4 sets to 2, with Kirsty Skene not dropping a set. Burramine then won all four mixed sets to claim the maximum eight points for the night.
Mulwala hosted neighbours Savernake. Mulwala won the men’s section 4 sets to 2, with veteran Rocky Leith in career-best form, winning all of his matches.
Savernake’s ladies reversed the scoreline, winning four sets.
Savernake also won three mixed sets, although all were closely contested. Savernake finished the night with six points to Mulwala’s two.
After Round 11, the ladder is Telford 67, Tungamah 57, Savernake 52, Burramine 48, Wilby 21, Mulwala 19.
This Friday marks the final round of Wilby Tennis for the year. Telford will play Burramine, Tungamah will host Mulwala, and Wilby will travel to Savernake.
Thursday Ladies Tennis
Thursday Ladies Tennis enjoyed a very successful Season One, which concluded earlier in December.
The next season will commence this Thursday, February 5, and will run for six weeks.
Team lists have been finalised, providing everyone with a good hit each week. Fill-ins are always required if anyone is interested.
Rock Up and Play Sessions
YLTC hosts social aggregate-style tennis on Tuesday mornings at 9.00 am for ladies and Wednesday mornings at 9.00 am for the men’s social hit.
There is no obligation to attend every week; however, once you have tried it, it is hard not to keep coming back.
Godfathers Tournament
The annual Godfathers Tournament will be held on Sunday, February 15. This is a round-robin singles event, with each player guaranteed three matches.
Age groups include Under 8, Under 10, Under 12, Under 14, and Under 16 for both boys and girls.
Players from throughout the North East will be in attendance, providing a great opportunity for local players to compete against different opponents.
Club Championships
The Junior Club Championships will be held on the mornings of Saturday, February 21, and Sunday, February 22.
Due to the large number of participating members, this format is required to complete the championships.
The Senior Club Championships will be held on Sunday, February 22, creating a fantastic atmosphere with courts filled by both junior and senior players.