Live stream: Queensland ready for tilt at Australian Junior Teams Championships tennis tournament
New Zealand and Victoria have been crowned Under-13 champions at the Tennis Australia National Teams Championships after a brilliant final day. Watch the REPLAYS from the tournament.
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Victoria and New Zealand have been crowned national teams champions after blitzing their grand final match-ups on a rain-soaked final day on the Gold Coast.
Victoria hoisted the Sproule Stephens Trophy in the Under-13 boys after powering past South Australia 2-0 in the final tie.
Raphael Savelli withstood a brilliant fighting effort from South Australia’s Max Edwards, powering back in the second set after losing the first in a gripping tiebreaker.
Savelli flicked the switch in the second set, showing the full array of his court coverage to fight back his rival before powering home to a 6-7 (7-1), 6-1, 6-3 victory.
Jonathan Zhang made no doubt about the Victorian’s standing as the number one seed coming into the tournament, taking less than an hour and a half to dispatch of rival Elisha Wee 6-3, 6-2 in the second match.
After a tough week on the courts of the Gold Coast, both sides opted to forego the dead rubber doubles tie.
It was a similar story in the girls final with the Kiwi team of Rosalie Pollyn and Una Misic delivering the title after just two matches.
Misic had to come from behind in the final set of a two hour epic to defeat South Australian challenger Hannah Park, while Pollyn showed just why she is one of the fastest rising stars on the court in New Zealand with a powerful display against Nahla Salley.
Salley had no answers for her rival as Pollyn pulled out every shot in her arsenal to take home the under-13 girls title with a 6-2, 6-4 win.
Check out the LIVE STREAM schedule below.
REPLAYS
COURT ONE
Rosalie Pollyn (NZ) v Nahla Salley (SA)
Una Misic (NZ) v Hannah Park (SA)
COURT TWO
Jonathan Chang (VIC) v Elisha Wee (SA)
Raphael Savelli (VIC) v Max Edwards (SA)
DAY 4 WRAP
South Australia has forced its way into the Under-13 girls decider in the most dramatic fashion.
The Red Army found its voice on the morning of day four at the Under-13 National Team Championships, riding a wave of momentum over the top of number one seeds Victoria.
Spearheaded by the rocket left-arm of young gun Nahla Salley, the Sotuh Australians battle through back-to-back tiebreaker matches to secure an opportunity to battle New Zealand for the title.
Salley was fantastic as she fought her way back in the third set to beat Victorian Musemma Cilek 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.
It was a result that breathed hope into the South Australian’s Cup dreams, levelling the three-game tie after Pauline Ma had clawed her way past Hannah Park in a two hour epic.
Salley and Park then joined forces to take on the doubles team of Cilek and Eleni Makantasis for a chance to make the final.
After dropping the first set 2-6, the South Australian pair found another gear claiming the second set with ease before going the distance in a tiebreaker third set.
The South Australians will take on a New Zealand side also filled with confidence after it took down NSW in a three-game epic.
In the other match on the show court, Victoria’s Jonathan Zhang dispatched Queensland’s Christian Joseph in straight sets, beating him 6-3, 6-0 to claim an emphatic semi-final win for the top seeds.
The Victorian side had already claimed the first singles match with Raphael Savelli taking down Arkin Amin-Patel in straight sets, with both sides opting to void the dead rubber doubles.
WATCH ALL THE REPLAYS FROM THE FIRST THREE DAYS BELOW
DAY 4 REPLAYS
Eleni Makantasis/Musemma Cilek (Vic) v Hannah Park/Nahla Salley (SA)
Musemma Cilek (Vic) v Nahla Salley (SA)
Pauline Ma (Vic) v Hannah Park (SA)
DAY THREE WRAP
New South Wales has maintained its clear dominance in the girls’ Group B division at the National Team 13&Under Championships following its latest demolition job.
The state’s fourth consecutive success came courtesy of the 3-0 result against South Australia.
The impressive win was led by Ami Dalla Pozza, who easily secured her singles contest before teaming up with Valentyna Rosa to take out their doubles match.
So far the Blues have succumbed to only one match defeat and four set losses from 11 outings and sit comfortably at the top of the table.
Their remarkable strike rate has earned them almost an 85 per cent success rate with sets won.
Aimee Jin opened NSW’s account with a straight-sets victory against Hannah Park, winning 6-2 7-5. Jin followed up with a straight-forward two-set win against Nahla Salley, claiming it 6-3 6-4.
Pozza and Rosa then took care of Oparah Rajakaruna and Park in the doubles.
DAY 3 REPLAYS
South Australia v Northern Territory - Boys
Sarvin Dev Mahadavan, Elisha We (SA) v Ethan Harker, William Pengelly (NT)
Sarvin Dev Mahadavan (SA) v Roy Vo (NT)
Max Edwards (SA) v Ethan Harker (NT)
NSW v South Australia - Girls
Ami Della Pozza, Valentyna Rosa (NSW) v Hannah Park, Oparah Rajakaruna (SA)
Ami Della Pozza (NSW) v Nalah Salley (SA)
Aimee Jin (NSW) v Hannah Park (SA)
The pair was pushed in the opening set before winning in the tiebreaker 7-6 (3), but then ran away with it in the second set (6-1).
South Australia finds itself in a similar position in the boys’ division after dishing out a brutal hiding to the winless Northern Territory.
The Territorians could only manage winning one game from the two singles matches and the solitary doubles match.
Max Edward wiped Ethan Harker off the court in the opening contest, as he strolled to a 6-0 6-0 win, while Sarvin Dev Mahadavan repeated the dose against Roy Vo.
Dev Mahadavan and Elisha Wee blotted a complete whitewash when William Pengelly and Harker won a game in the opening set.
But they didn’t let lightning strike twice as they closed out the second 6-0.
Like the NSW girls, South Australia’s boys remain unbeaten from three outings (8-1 match aggregate) and enjoy a 85 per cent strike rate in sets won.
WATCH ALL THE REPLAYS FROM DAY 2 AT THE TEAMS NATIONALS BELOW
DAY 2 REPLAYS
Xander Crabb/Sebastian Lavorato (NSW) v Rayan Kheradpezhouh/Mitchell Rankin (ACT)
Sebastian Lavorato (NSW) v Mitchell Rankin (ACT)
Xander Crabb (NSW) v Tommy Camus (ACT)
Musemma Cilek/Eleni Makantasis (Vic) v Addison Franklin/Misty Woodhouse (WA)
Eleni Makantasis (Vic) v Sunmer Royall (WA)
Pauline Ma (Vic) v Addison Franklin (WA) - Australian Junior Teams Championships U13
PREVIEW
The tennis action is only ramping up on the Gold Coast, with finals right around the corner at the National Team 13&Under Championships.
Day three will be all about the future talents from around the Great Australian Bight with South Australia flooding the show court on Sunday.
The Croweaters will take on rivals New South Wales in the under-13 girls tournament to kick off the day’s action, before the state’s boys team takes on neighbouring rivals Northern Territory.
GET READY FOR 10 DAYS OF TOPLINE JUNIOR TENNIS
Catch action from Court 1 LIVE and EXCLUSIVE from Friday to Monday. The coverage expands to Courts 1 and 2 for the finals on Tuesday.
DAY 2 ROUND-UP
New South Wales boys have survived an almighty scare in the second round of the Tennis Australia Under-13 National Teams Championships.
The boys in sky blue managed to overcome a fired up ACT team, to clean sweep their tie on Saturday afternoon.
But it was far from easy for the sky blues who have won both of their early ties on the Gold Coast.
Xander Crabb had to fight tooth and nail to overcome rising young gun Tommy Camus 7-6(7-3), 2-6, 6-4.
Camus, who will back up next week in the Under-15 National Teams Championship, took Crabb to the limit in a first set tiebreaker before bouncing back strong to claim the second set.
But a fighting break of game late in the third and final set was enough to turn the match in Crabb’s favour. Crabb used his booming forehand to force a deuce, before forcing two late errors out of Camus to swing the contest.
From there it was all academic with Crabb growing in confidence in his serve as the match wore on.
Sebastian Lavorato had to find a similar level of resilience as his state mate as he fought back from being a set down against Mitchell Ranking to come over the top of him in emphatic style.
The young left-hander might only be small in stature but he packs a punch especially off the backhand which he used to good affect across the 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory.
Lavorato returned to court to partner Joel Teng in the doubles leg of the tie, with the pair pulling out all the stops including a couple of crisp forehand winners down the line to ice a 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 victory.
It capped off another big day of action from the courts at KDV Sport on the Gold Coast which earlier included a clean sweep victory for Victoria over the team from Western Australia in the Under-13 girls tournament.
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DAY 1 REPLAYS
UNDER-13 BOYS ROUND 1 - QLD v TAS
Replay: Arkin Amit-Patel/Vittorio Golda (Queensland) v Lochie Sampson/Marcus Wong (Tasmania)
Replay: Vittorio Golda (Queensland) v Lochie Sampson (Tasmania) (U13 Boys)
Christian Joseph (Queensland) v Charlie Marsden (Tasmania) (U13 Boys)
UNDER-13 GIRLS ROUND 1 - NSW v ACT
Ami Della Pozza, Valentyna Rosa (NSW) v Piyushi Bandera, Anaise Maka (ACT)
Valentyna Rosa (NSW) v Zoe Cowles (ACT)
Aimee Jin (NSW) v Piyushi Bandera (ACT)
DAY ONE ROUND-UP
NSW, the defending champions in the girls, were unstoppable, clean sweeping their opening tie of the Under-13 National Teams Tennis Championships against the ACT.
They also kept an ace up its sleeve, opting not to partner Valentyna Rosa and Aimee Jin despite their impressive history as a doubles act on the national stage.
The duo made an impressive run to the final at the Australian Claycourt Championships earlier this year, and share a bond from attending the same school.
But the NSW coaches have opted to keep the powder dry on the doubles act, instead sending the duo out as singles competitors where they both cruised to straight sets wins to set up an early victory in the first round tie.
Jin knocked over ACT rival Piyushi Bandara 6-4, 6-1 before Rosa made short work of Zoe Cowles 6-2, 6-1.
Rosa then backed up in the doubles match alongside teammate Ami Della Pozza where the pair survived a first set tiebreaker scare before dominating the second to cap off a perfect start.
The home state also enjoyed a perfect start to its campaign in the bosy Under-13 title race, winning all three matches in their Round 1 tie with Tasmania.
Reigning 12-and-Under Australian claycourt champion, Christian Joseph continued his stellar year on the court, not dropping a game on his way to a straight sets win over Charlie Marsden.
Vittorio Golda then backed up his big Queensland teammate with a 6-1, 6-1 straight sets win over Lochie Sampson.
Not to be outdone by his two teammates, when Arkin Amin-Patel finally hit the court, playing alongside Golda in the doubles clash, he made sure every shot counted.
The pair blasted their way past Sampson and teammate Marcus Wong in a 6-3, 6-0 straight sets win.
PREVIEW
Nathan Eshmade once coached South Australia’s brightest stars at the National Teams Championship and now he will be overseeing Queensland’s tilt at the tennis title.
Eshmade is the head coach of the Queensland 13-and-under boys side that will compete at the NTC at KDV Sport in Carrara on the Gold Coastt for five days from Friday.
He may have started his career in South Australia but Eshmade is fully entrenched in Queensland’s system, mentoring some of the state’s best in Brisbane over the past four years.
“It will be interesting seeing the other coaches I have worked with at Tennis SA,” Eshmade said.
“I helped do the teams event for them and now I’m on the opposition team coaching against them for Queensland.”
The Queensland 13-and-under boys team will be made up of Arkin Amin-Patel, Vittorio Golda and Christian Joseph.
The tournament will run with a similar format to the famous Davis Cup with two singles matches followed by a doubles competition.
For Eshmade’s Queensland team its success will boil down to the mentality they take on to the court.
“It comes down to basic principles,” Eshmade said.
“I want to make them understand that we are not here to fill the numbers. We are here to win. We will have one goal, one mentality. If all the boys are keen and do the right things then it gives us the best chance possible to win.
“They all have to be on the same page. If you do lose a tie it’s not the end of the world. You are never out of it.
“We have spoken about how we want to play and a few things around discipline and attitude. It’s pretty exciting and it will be a great experience for them.”