Rising stars in Cairns tennis hit the court for Open Age tournament
They’re young, but mighty. These 13 rising stars are the best Cairns has to offer in terms of tennis talents.
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It’s hard to match the speed and aggression on the court displayed by young Justin Cheng.
The 12-year-old tennis rising star has already had his fair share of success in the sport in his early career, and will look to add to his hotstreak at the Cairns Open Age tournament this week.
Cheng is coming off a semi-finalist appearance at a regional tournament in Townsville, and took the top spot in the under-18s at the Open in early June.
“It was really good, I just had to attack the whole time, I didn’t really do anything else,” the Edmonton and Gordonvale Tennis pupil said.
“The older players were in the open age so there were a lot of younger players, it was pretty easy not gonna lie.”
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Cheng has played tennis for six years under the tutelage of Guy Thomas.
He will be one of the 113 players taking to the courts at Cairns International this week for the competition.
On Tuesday, Cheng got his campaign off to a solid start beating Sam Ryan 2-1 and taking down Oscar Savige in straight sets for the quarter-final.
He lost a doubles match with partner Ayato Sato in straight sets to second seeded Will Garate and Oliver Hottot.
“He’s super fast around the court, get’s a lot of court play,” Baseline Tennis Coaching Academy’s Wayne Fielder said.
Cheng is one of the 13 tennis players across FNQ who are the ones to watch as they grow and develop their craft in the region.
Hamish Caruana
Age: 9
Club: Cairns International Tennis Centre
Caruana has grown his tennis game by leaps and bounds since arriving in FNQ from the Territory two years ago.
The nine-year-old is the top seed at the Cairns Open Age, and was named as the top player representing the Peninsula primary school team heading to regionals later this year.
“He’s an absolutely phenomenal talent,” Fielder said.
“He came to the Far North from Alice Springs two years ago, and has grown from strength to strength.”
Third seed Raice Gibbons, however, had other plans for Caruana after pulling off an upset in straight sets on Wednesday.
Sophia Kawane
Age: 12
Club: Cairns International Tennis Centre
A player that comes from a family of tennis talents, with Kawane’s older sister Giselle a talent tennis player with a scholarship in Sydney.
“They are both very good, she’ll (Sophia) be the one the beat in the 12 and under,” Wielder said.
Kalan Wilson
Age: 13
Club: Edge Hill
A notable talent in the 14-and-under boys in FNQ, Wilson has been dynamite on the courts at Edge Hill.
Wilson dispatched Jack Hamer 2-1 in the round of 16 before taking down Daniel McDonald in straight sets in the quarterfinals at the Open Age.
Natalie Wolff
Age: 13
Club: Cairns International Tennis Centre
Based in Innisfail, Wolff brings her skill to Cairns along with sister Alyssa.
Natalie got her Open Age campaign off to a hot start by taking down Amy Edgerton in straight sets in the quarterfinals.
Karma Havini
Age: 11
Club: Edge Hill
The third seed at the Open Age in the 14-and-unders, Havini has made even more strides in her flourishing tenure as a tennis player.
The 11-year-old gun won her quarterfinal match against Casey Bounghi in straight sets and doubles game with Lily Mcmanus on Tuesday.
Kiralee Cook
Age: 13
Club: Edge Hill
The fourth seed in the 14-and-under girls grouping, Cook defeated Isabelle Blanco in straight sets.
“Kiralee’s had a lot of really good results recently, her game is on the up at the moment,” Wielder said.
“She’s beaten a lot of the top girls around the area and has been really consistent.”
Zed Meafua-Uren
Age: 14
Club: none
While practising at the Cairns International often, Meafua-Uren doesn’t align with any one club according to Wielder.
The talented 14-year-old took down Theresa Emelio in the 16-and-under quarterfinal in straight sets.
“She’s gonna take some beating, she’s a great talent,” Wielder said.
Taichi Sato
Age: 15
Club: Edge Hill
Arguably one of the best tennis players in northern Queensland, Sato has accrued plenty of trophies in his young career.
The Tom Horn-trained prodigy has won back-to-back Queensland under-15 championships, and finished atop the podium at the Juniors Team Trials in Townsville.
At the Junior Ages, Sato defeated Orlando Satori in straight sets in the quarterfinal, before claiming victory in straight sets with Billy Haoda in the 18-and-under doubles.
Haanbie Lee
Age: 16
Club: Trinity Beach
Another North Queensland representative with plenty of silverware, Lee is a force to be reckoned with among the young crop of tennis rising stars.
Trained by talented Cairns coach and player Ciaran Moore, Lee has made his own run at the Junior Age titles.
The 16-year-old won his opening game against Mitchell Westcott in straight sets.
Billy Haoda
Age: 16
Club: Cairns International Tennis Centre
Another player who’s drawn from the well of Moore’s expertise, Haoda is another player to watch as he gets to grips with his fellow competition.
Haoda’s Junior Age campaign got off to a less than ideal start, however, after he was defeated in the 18-and-under singles by Koen Anderson in straight sets.
Ben Wenzel
Age: 15
Club: Clifton Beach
Another young tennis star who has accomplished much already, with aspirations to continue to grow further.
Wenzel claimed a junior singles world title this year, a runner up in doubles and is ranked ninth in the world in his field.
Idolising Australian tennis phenom Dylan Alcott growing up, Wenzel finds himself among his peers as one of the most accomplished players in the nation, and globe.
Phoebe Cahill
Age: 14
Club: Gordonvale and Edmonton
Skilled beyond her years, Cahill won the women’s competition at the Cairns Open earlier this year.
The tennis talent has succeeded in her own age group on many an occasion, and has placed against her older competitors multiple times.
The 14-year-old is also in the top four in regional Queensland in the Capra Series, which puts her in the running to win the $10,000 tournament.
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