NATIONAL ranking points went up for grabs at the Pakenham Regional Tennis Centre (PRTC) on the weekend as some talented youngsters took part in the Pakenham Labour Day Classic.
Over 100 boys and girls, ranging in age from Under 12s to Under 16s, hit the courts as part of Tennis Australia’s Optus Junior Tournament (OJT) series.
The OJT series has five levels, White, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum and gives youngsters in all age groups the opportunity to build national ranking points and progress through the ranks. This was Pakenham’s first foray into the OJT series, at the White entry level, and was a roaring success, according to PRTC centre manager, Dan Salvato.
“We had players come from as far as Albury, Canberra and Tasmania and it was a really, really good standard of tennis,” Salvato said.
“It gave these players the chance to build their rankings and also showcased what the PRTC has to offer. We were delighted with the response, people who had never been to Pakenham before gave us some great feedback and that’s fantastic as we go forward.”
Going forward involves Pakenham hosting two more OJT series events this year, one to be held over the Queen’s Birthday weekend in early June and the last to be held during the September school holidays, one week prior to the National titles at Melbourne Park.
“The OJT in September will be the biggest of the three,” Salvato said.
“With the timing, just prior to Melbourne Park, we should see some really highly ranked players take part.”
RESULTS
BOY’S 12 & UNDER
1 Daniel Paveska (2)
2 James Mercer (3)
3/4 Harry Spicer (5) Billy Paul Spicer
BOY’S 12 & UNDER DOUBLES
1 Ben Grumley (2) and Damien Hough
2 Daniel Paveska (1) and Daniel Zieba
3/4 Lachlan Henry Hewitt (4) and Xavier Kendall
3/4 Ben Cheetham (3) and James Mercer
GIRL’S 12 & UNDER
1 Alexandra San Andres (1)
2 Georgia Tippelt (3)
3/4 Claire Candido (4) Joanna Wietrzyk
GIRL’S 12 & UNDER DOUBLES
1 Georgia Tippelt (1) and Joanna Wietrzyk
2 Jemma Ashe (2) and Nikita Chumbley
3/4 Claire Candido and Cassie Pleming
3/4 Mia Savio and Ella Shone
BOY’S 14 & UNDER DOUBLES
1 Brock Dixon (2) and Joe Myers
2 Stefan Aleksic (3) and Callum Robinson
3/4 Jackson Bruce-Tennant (1) and Matteo Savio
3/4 Kyle Didone (4) and Robert Zieba
GIRL’S 14 & UNDER
1 Katelyn Mcgauran
2 Alysiah Rogers (1)
3 Zofia Andrianopoulos (2)
4 Jovana Jovic
BOY’S 16 & UNDER
1 Simon Thomas (1)
2 Petar Kovac (2)
3/4 Sam Mizzi
3/4 Matthew Mahoney (3)
BOY’S 16 & UNDER DOUBLES
1 Petar Kovac (1) and Simon Thomas
2 Nathan Franklin and Matthew Judge
3/4 Ryan Oliver Bell (3) and Campbell De Kretser
3/4 Michael Case (2) and Bailey Mogensen
Girl’s 16 & Under
1 Maddison Sideris
2 Millie Shone
GIRL’S 16 & UNDER DOUBLES
1 Zofia Andrianopoulos and Katelyn Mcgauran
2 Alysiah Rogers and Millie Shone
