17-year-old prodigy Taylah Preston claims Cairns Tennis International crown
17-year-old Taylah Preston claims Cairns Tennis International crown.
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Taylah Preston has shown why she is one of the rising guns of Australian tennis using a unique and ferocious game style to defeat Yuki Naito in straight sets in the Cairns International #2 final.
Preston powered her way through formidable opponents including Roisin Gilheany, Ivana Popovic and Cairns International #1 champion Destanee Aiava before claiming the crown against Naito.
In her third ITF singles title of the season, Preston’s fierce brand of tennis combined with composure beyond her years has stood up against experienced competitors in Cairns and on tour.
“You never 100 per cent know how your opponent will play but I was ready for anything and dealt with what (Naito) threw at me,” Preston said.
“I wouldn’t say I model my game around anyone in particular.
“I like to play how I like to play.
“But you always try and take little bits from players.”
The 17-year-old used her lethal forehand and backhand to blitz her way to the championship, showing serenity to overcome the mental challenge of facing the top seeds.
It’s the result of intense work on her craft to sharpen her tools for future success.
“I love both my forehand and backhand,” Preston said.
“I would say my backhand is my signature shot but my forehand has improved a lot.
“Even in the past week it’s gotten better.
“I’m happy that they’re both weapons of mine that I can use.”
Despite losing the final, No. 5 seed Naito put up a fight in the first set but struggled to win points on her first serve, a key component in the earlier knockout stages.
Meanwhile, Preston’s dominant 15 wins from her past 17 matches carried over to the doubles court, winning her first professional title alongside No.1 singles seed Aiava, who she defeated in the singles semi-final 7-6 and 6-1.
Preston has been previously named Female Junior Athlete of the Year at the 2021 and 2022 Australian Tennis Awards and achieved a top 10 world junior ranking late last year.
After winning a title in Perth, Preston is ambitious for the future, but for now will shift her focus to the City of playford Tennis International in South Australia next week. .
“I won in Perth two weeks ago which was amazing to win one at home,” Preston said.
“I was injured at the beginning of this year so this was my first full year of playing pro tournaments.
“I wasn’t sure how my level was going to match-up but I think I’ve been doing pretty well and hopefully I can keep performing at tournaments at higher levels up.”
‘Dogfight’: Omar Jasika claims Cairns Tennis International crown
Australian Omar Jasika has capped off a remarkable Cairns Tennis International campaign with a dogfight victory against childhood friend Jake Delaney on Sunday.
Jasika made a dominant run to the final finishing all four of his previous opponents in two sets on the way to the decider.
But the final was far different, with a plethora of exhausting back and forth rallies in what became a two-and-a-half hour, three-set thriller at the Cairns International Tennis Centre.
Jasika said he was ecstatic with the victory and praised his opponent for the hard-hitting match.
“Jake and I grew up together,” Jasika said.
“We travelled together under-10s and 12s to Europe and had my first overseas trip with Jake.
“We’ve played each other over four times and each time it’s exactly like that, I knew it was going to be dogfight.
“I couldn’t have done much more and if I lost I would’ve been happy for the result to go his way.”
Delaney powered his way to the final eliminating Hikaru Shiraishi in the quarter-final in a tense third set tie-breaker and booked a spot in the final with a 6-4 and 7-6 victory over No. 3 seed Blake Ellis.
Meanwhile, Jasika put in a strong performance in the semi-final against No. 4 seed Blake Mott winning 6-3 and 6-2.
Jasika bowed out of the Cairns International in the first round last year and was looking to bounce back stronger this year.
“It was good to come back and redeem myself,” Jasika said.
“I knew I was playing good tennis leading up to Cairns, coming back from Asia I was gaining some traction and momentum.”
Jasika took a two-year break from tennis at the beginning of 2020, and said that time away from the game had reinvigorated his passion for the sport.
“It was a really nice break, living out of suitcase and always being on the go it was nice to chill out and not think about tennis for a little, “Jasika said.
“It’s helped me tremendously, coming back onto the tour, I feel like a lot of my competitors need a break and some time off.
“I’m happy to be back and enjoying tennis more than I ever have.”
Jasika said his experience and reading of the game gave him the edge.
“I’m a lot more experienced now,” Jasika said.
“Once you find your game and what works for you, you start to work on that and overtime develop a really strong game style.
“A lot of my strengths have developed over the years.
“I’ve been training the right way for my game and focus on what I need to be doing.
“Prioritised my fitness and lock in from the get-go.”
These tournaments are integral in helping to shape the future of Australian tennis.
The finals day brings an end to two weeks of high-class tennis in Cairns, which received major support from Cairns Regional Council.
The Australian Pro Tour event features talents who play at similar tournaments across the country chasing valuable ranking points, which could ultimately open the door for the opportunity to qualify for the Australian Open this summer.
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Originally published as 17-year-old prodigy Taylah Preston claims Cairns Tennis International crown
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