Tasmanians have done their best to hold off mainland rivals from pinching the state’s junior championship titles on Thursday.
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None more so than top Launceston singles pair Oliver Hadley and Tiana Philp, who made it through to the last four in two age groups.
But six of the seven singles trophies were set to leave Bass Strait after 80 of the nation’s most promising talent in the sport descended on the Launceston Regional Tennis Centre during the week.
For Launceston’s Oliver Carswell, he had a much easier time against a limited number of interstate raiders.
Carswell held off Murdoch Lee 6-3 to win the under-10s boys one-set final.
Hadley put in a superb effort on court, culminating with the under-16s boys final.
The No.2 seed advanced through to the quarter-finals off a bye but was hungry with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Jay Coxon and a 6-1, 6-4 victory over the No.3 seed Jake Elmer in an all-Launceston semi-final.
Hadley dropped all games in the first set of the final to Christian Care 6-0, but fought back in the second set tiebreak to lose 7-6.
He reached the under-14 semi-finals before bowing out to Christian Tam 6-1 6-1.
Philp showed she had the knack to challenge her more fancied opponents this week.
The unseeded Philp won a 10-3 tiebreaker after fourth seed Alicia Dale squared the under-14s quarter-final at one-set all, but the good run ended against second seed Paris Cagney 6-2, 6-3.
Philp also won through to the under-16 semi-finals off a 7-5, 6-1 win over Felicity Jane Radcliff, but was knocked off in a 6-2 6-2 loss to top seed Arnaka Bourn.
Launceston’s No.4 seed Rebecca Clarke won 6-1 6-4 in the quarter-final with Olivia Wilkinson, who whitewashed her opening opponent. But Clarke fell in the semi-finals to top seed Brooke Miller 6-3 6-3.