Boys and Girls Impress at 2024 Junior Tennis Club Championships
We had another bumper entry in all the age groups from ages 4 to 16 at our Junior Tennis Club Championships last Saturday. The courts were buzzing with excitement, skill and determination. Tournaments are really good experience in junior development so thank you to the parents for supporting the children in their tennis journey. There was some fantastic tennis on show and also great sportsmanship and respect towards each other as competitors. We hope everyone enjoyed it!
Here is a round-up of each age group: –
6U Mixed
Our age 6 and Under players kicked off the event with a fun set of skills tests with coach Dave. These exercises will lead them to the next phase of consistently hitting balls over a mini-net from ages 7 upwards. All the children glowed as they lined up for their medals at the end. Well done Artemis, Ayla, Devan, Molly, Rosie, Ruby and Tobias.

8U Mixed
This was the first tournament for some of the younger players, and some of the rallies in this Red ball event were amazing! Fourteen age 8 and Under players were split into two groups of seven players – each player playing everyone else in their group in games up to seven points. Dillon, Jack and Toby took the top three places in group A , while Sienna, Josh and Freddie W took the top three places in group B. Notably, Sienna and Dillon won all their group games and so progressed to the final, while all the other players then played one more match to decide their finishing position in the championship.
The final itself was a very high standard, with Dillon’s power serve and age advantage winning the day, but Sienna’s hard work and dedicated training is clearly paying off. Jack and Josh finished in 3rd and 4th place respectively. So our 8U champion for 2024 is Dillon. Everyone tried their hardest and supported each other along the way, so a big well done to all fourteen players.

9U Mixed
We had nine players in this Orange ball event, split into three groups of three players. The girls outnumbered boys in this age category. The players competed for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in a preliminary group stage, then advanced into A, B and C groups for the second half of the event. Sophia, Matilda and Soloman went through to the A group, then played each other to decide the top three places overall. This was a ding-dong affair between all three players, with Sophia winning the 9U championship in a sudden-death point against Matilda. Oh so close! The top four places were ….
Sophia – Champion
Matilda – Runner-up
Soloman – 3rd
Nathan – 4th

10U Boys and 10U Girls
Six players in this Green ball event played against each other in a single group. There were high quality points played throughout as Arka and Ben each won four of their five games to reach the play-off final. William and Herbie played excellent tennis too to reach the 3rd/4th play off match. Just as Ben had won a sudden-death point against Arka in the group stage the same thing happened again in the final, but this time Arka reversed the result to win 10-9 – becoming champion for the second year running. Bad luck Ben … it was so very close!
William and Herbie also had an epic match, with William clinching 3rd place by 10-8.
Adelaide triumphed 10-7 against Katie in another close match to become the 10U Girls champion.

12U Boys and 12U Girls
Ten players split into two round-robin groups of five, with boys and girls playing against each other in this Yellow ball event. Oliver S powered his way to win all four matches in his group and Riddha did the same in the second group. They then contested the final – a repeat of last year’s final – with some awesome rallies throughout. This year Riddha reversed last year’s result by winning 10-5, thus becoming our new 12U Champion. Riddha’s brother Arka and Aydin competed in the 3rd and 4th play-off, with Arka claiming 3rd place by 10-4.
Olivia also scored two good wins against William, and in doing so became our new 12U Girls Champion. A special mention goes to William – playing above his age group and in Yellow ball for the first time – and also to Oreoluwa, playing in her first ever tennis championship and winning some great rallies in all her matches.

14U Mixed, 16U Boys and 16U Girls
This year we combined the 14U and 16U juniors into one round-robin group of five players. In this age category matches were played as “first-to-four” games. In the 14U event the key match was between Riddha and Rowan , with Riddha winning 4-0 to become the 14U champion, in addition to the 12U event earlier.
The youngest junior in this event – Hema – was playing her first tournament ever, but you would not have known as she played solid tennis against the boys throughout and then clinched the girls 16U championship against Cansu, winning 4-2 in their head-to-head match. A superb effort. Well done Hema!
In the Boys 16U event the last match was between tall and powerful Oliver M and the younger Riddha. This was the climax of the whole day. Both boys had won their first three matches so the winner of this match would clinch the title. There were big shots off both wings as the players slugged it out. Oliver’s three year advantage and greater power was crucial in his 4-1 victory, but he knew he had been fully tested as he slumped to the ground after the winning point. Almost like Wimbledon. A truly great effort Oliver!

And so our 2024 Champions are….
Dillon – 8U
Sophia – 9U
Arka – 10U Boys
Adelaide – 10U Girls
Riddha – 12U Boys
Olivia – 12U Girls
Riddha – 14U Boys
Oliver M – 16U Boys
Hema – 16U Girls
Congratulations to all winners and for all our dedicated juniors for taking part. Thanks again to all the parents and especially to all those who helped with scoring in the 8U event.
We now in the last few weeks of term with the junior coaching sessions finishing on Saturday the 21st December. Priority booking period opens on Monday 9th December at Reception for next term’s courses. Early booking is advised to ensure your child is booked on to the best class for them.
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