Tennis the Winner at our 2023 Junior Tennis Club Championships

We were delighted to have another record entry for our Junior Tennis Club Championships last week.  It was great to see all our courts full of active young players putting into practice everything they’ve been learning in their coaching.  Tournaments are really good experience in a playing journey so thank you to parents for making the time to bring them in and for your moral support courtside! There was some fantastic tennis on show from all age groups and also lots of really positive attitudes towards play and each other as competitors. We hope everyone enjoyed it! Congratulations to all winners and well done to all entrants.

We have a round-up of each age group from Head Coach Nick Boys below:

U6

Our U6 players had a marvellous time with Dave at our fun session in the morning, which set them a variety of exercises and challenges to keep them and their parents entertained. Well done everyone for trying so hard – the medals were very well earnt!  It won’t be long until you are ready for a tournament and playing some games. Hopefully seeing the older ones in action will help prepare and excite you for this future challenge.

U8

Two groups of six players were entered into this group and for some of the younger players it was their first tournament. They all played lots of games, with each player in a group playing all the others once in a game up to seven points. Everyone tried their hardest and supported each other along the way. The top two in each group qualified for the semi-finals.  Natayla and Florence from Group 1 and Sam and Eleanor from Group 2 found themselves vying for a place in the final. Florence and Eleanor won through to the final and gave the crowd an enthralling showcase of mini red tennis with Eleanor winning 10-6 to take the 2023 U8 title.

U10

Two groups of five players played some fantastic tennis with Ben, Anoushka, Barney and Herbie qualifying for the semi-finals. After two tight semis Ben and Herbie won through to the final match. Both played consistently well and moved each other around the court, but Herbie proved just too consistent for Ben in the end and took the 2023 U10 title.

U11

In a five player round robin format and with some very close rallies it emerged that Ottilia and Arka were vying for the title. In the end it came down to Arka’s greater match experience. He proved too consistent and accurate for Ottilia and was crowned the 2023 U11 champion.

U12 Boys

For the U12 Boys there were three entrants and a round robin format, with each playing the others in a full set of tennis. There were some great displays of athleticism and defence from all three boys with Riddha and Oliver emerging for the final. Oliver secured an early break of serve that proved crucial and he held on to win 6-4 and also the Gold Medal for 2023.

U14 Girls

Another three player round robin format saw the girls playing each other and the spectators were amazed at the level of tennis they were witnessing. Some brilliant defence, attack and put away shots saw the last match between Rosie and Censau being crucial. If Censau won, she forced a countback in games. However, Rosie gritted her teeth and her depth and consistency of shot saw her through the day, winning the match and the U14 2023 title.

U16 Boys

The big match of the day was Joseph versus Rowan. Who would be standing after a potential full-blooded, three-set affair? Joseph took the early advantage and the first set 6-4, only to find Rowan steel himself and take the second set 6-3. So to the final set tie-break and Rowan quickly moved to a three-point advantage. Joseph took stock and reeled off 6 points in a row to take the tie-break 10-6 and the 2023 U16 title.  An awesome match for all to watch!

Congratulations to the winners and to everyone who entered!  Everyone should be very proud of themselves!

Our thanks to Boglarka, Jenny, Paul, Dave and Alfred for all their help in refereeing matches and keeping the energy up in a long afternoon, and to the competitors for all their hard efforts on the court. You were amazing in what you achieved!  Finally thank you to the parents for bringing your children to compete – without them there is no tournament. 

Please do let us know your thoughts on the tournament; we do like to hear them, and you can send through to [email protected].  For those on the coaching programme we are holding parent consultations in the week commencing 11th December during the weekly sessions. These will provide an opportunity to see how your children are developing and to ask our coaches any questions you may have.