Tennis Australia hosts 2022 December Showdown at Melbourne Park
Some of Australia’s best junior tennis players will battle it out at Melbourne Park next week as they chase national glory. Here’s who to keep an eye on.
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Some of Australia’s best tennis players will descend on Melbourne Park for the second week of Tennis Australia’s December Showdown.
From Sunday, under-16 and under-12 players will play in a series of matches to be crowned among Australia’s best.
The competition, first introduced in 2008, has featured some of Australia’s best tennis players including Alex de Minaur, Ash Barty (retired) and Nick Kyrgios.
Here’s a look at some of the players to keep an eye on.
UNDER-16S
Audrey Aulia – New South Wales
Was unlucky not to make the quarters of the under-18 championships in Melbourne. Aulia won two of her three matches but missed as her games won and games lost was not as good as two rivals in the group. Aulia will be one of the players to look for in the event after her form in the December Showdown so far.
Isabella Crossman – Victoria
Crossman is another player who competed in the under-18 championships this week. The Echuca and Torrumbarry based junior is into the quarterfinals in doubles and was unlucky to lose all three group matches in singles. Crossman is currently the seventh highest ranked ITF girls junior in the field and won the J5 Darwin ITF event earlier this year in May.
Jerome Estephan – New South Wales
Made the final of the under-14 national clay court titles early this year. Is one of the youngest players in the draw but the sixth highest ranked boys junior in the ITF rankings. Someone to keep an eye on in the future.
Thomas Gadecki – Queensland
Will start as one of the favourites for the tournament after his week so far in Melbourne. Gadecki made the quarterfinals of the under-18 singles at the December Showdown after finishing second in the group stage. He is the second highest ranked ITF junior in the draw.
Gabby Gregg – New South Wales
The highest ranked ITF girls junior heading into the under-16 championships. It’s been a stellar year for Gregg. She won the Barclay Open in singles in January and won all her matches in qualification for the Pizzey Cup in Bathurst.
Giselle Guillen – New South Wales
Not many youngsters have the chance to play at Wimbledon as a teenager, but Guillen did, playing in the under-14 tournament after qualifying for the prestigious event this year. She won two of her three matches in the round robin but it wasn’t enough to make the semi’s. Guillen, from Castle Hill, is a star on the rise.
Brendan Loh – South Australia
The Pulteney Grammar student has already impressed in Melbourne this week, making the group stage of the under-18 championships after qualifying with two wins. He also made the quarters in the doubles in under-18s. Loh is fourth in the ITF boys junior rankings.
Rhea Makesar – Western Australia
The talented teenager is already playing premier tennis in WA in the Tennis West State League. She also made the final of the J5 Darwin ITF tournament earlier this year. Makesar is the second highest ranked ITF girls player in the under-16 championships.
Lachlan McFadzean – New South Wales
The 15-year-old has combined with Loh to reach the quarterfinals of the under-18 boys championships. The teenager won this year’s Victorian under-16 clay court tournament, dropping just two games in the final.
Christian Salmeron – South Australia
The reigning state champion in singles and doubles in under-16 for the Croweaters. Salmeron is the third highest ranked ITF boys junior in the draw. Salmeron is one of the favourites for the doubles, set to combine with Gadecki for the event.
Bridget Mihulka – Victoria
One of the rising stars of the sport in Victoria. Mihulka took out the singles title at the Victorian clay court titles this year in under-16. Recently, she earned her first wins on the professional tour, claiming two wins in Traralgon. One of the favourites for the title.
Alana Subasic – New South Wales
The teenager is the fifth highest ranked ITF girls junior in the tournament but has already impressed in Melbourne. She is into the quarterfinals of the under-18 championships after winning two of her three group games. Subasic was seeded in the tournament and is expected to be seeded in the under-16s as well. She is a former under-12 national champion, winning the singles in 2019.
Hugh Winter – South Australia
The highest ranked ITF junior in the draw who also competed in the under-18 tournament this week, losing all three of his group matches. Hugh is the brother of Edward Winter, who won his first ITF professional title last month in Traralgon.
UNDER-12s
Nikolas Baker – Victoria
Has enjoyed a fine season after winning the under 12 national clay court singles and doubles titles earlier this year. A rising star from Mernda who is associated with Kooyong Tennis Club.
Emilie Chen — New South Wales
Teamed up with Jennifer Ott to claim the national hard court championships this year and arrives in Melbourne with strong form. Chen reached the semi-final of the NSW grass court national championships qualifiers last week. She has also shown a fantastic ability to play above her age group.
Elroi Chiripamberi — Western Australia
The WA star will look to conclude his year with another big performance. Chiripamberi already has five tournament wins to his name this year.
Roman Filipovic — Victoria
Took out the Victorian under-12 clay court titles earlier this year along with the YMCA Indoor Tennis Championships. Filipovic will play across three different competitions.
Ceressa Jackson — Queensland
What a year it has been for this young tennis prodigy. Jackson has won seven tournament across the year and won a remarkable 90 matches. She’s also been a finalist in several other competitions.
Aimee Jin — New South Wales
Has enjoyed a fine season which included a runner-up finish at the hard court national titles in Hobart. Jin will compete in the singles, girls doubles and mixed doubles.
Lachlan Rye — Queensland
It’s been a thrilling year for Rye who at one stage had a run of four straight tournament wins. He has the talent to win the singles or doubles while in Melbourne.
Raphael Savelli — Victoria
A player for the big stage, Savelli stormed to the Victorian clay court title earlier this year despite entering the tournament as the eighth seed.
Mia Slatina — New South Wales
Arrives in Melbourne as the NSW State Championship winner and isn’t afraid of pressure having taken out that tournament as the number one seed.
Elise Virr — Queensland
Has to be one of the favourites to take out the girls competition with countless tournament wins this year.
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