Semi-finals week in Tennis Geelong’s Saturday senior competition saw most results go the way of the higher placed teams, and a number a matches going down to the wire.
Section 1 Men saw Waurn Ponds and Grovedale take their third wins over Highton and Geelong Lawn Green, while in Section 1 Mixed undefeated Grovedale Gold will get the week off next week after defeating Grovedale Yellow.
Yellow will face Grovedale Black after it pulled off a one-game win over Geelong Lawn.
Section 5 Mixed had the closest results for the day with both matches tied at three sets all.
St Marys took on Wandana Heights in the first semi, and with a 2-0 record would have been confident going into the match.
The match started close with Geogia Cowdrey and Tom Crosbie taking the first set for St Mary’s 7-5, while Wandana levelled with Tessa Miller and Louie Dodds winning 6-4.
Cowdrey teamed with Janelle Grass in the ladies to take a commanding 6-0 win, while Wandana’s Sam Ward and Louie Dodds kept their team in the mix with a 6-2 win.
With a two game advantage going into the final sets the pressure was on both teams to do well. Wandana gave itself a great chance to cause an upset when Tessa Miller and Sam Ward took the fifth set 6-3, but Georgia Cowdrey got her third set for the day with Bob Keating, 6-4, giving St Mary’s the win by one game.
The second semi was almost as close, with Moolap getting up over Ceres by two games.
The match was tied after the first two sets, and Ceres ahead by only a game after the ladies’ and men’s doubles.
Trudy McCann and Murray McConachy put Ceres ahead taking the fifth 6-4, but Hazel Ashton and Rob Allsopp took the final set and the match for Moolap with a 6-1 win.
Section 3 Mixed also had both matches decided on games.
The second semi saw Ocean Grove take on Portarlington in a seesawing match.
The sets alternated through the day, and with three sets decided 7-6, 7-6, 7-5, both teams had their chances, but in the end Ocean Grove finished ahead by one game.
In the first semi, second placed Wandana Heights White bested minor premiers Clifton Springs by five games.
While this looked like an upset, White had been the Springs’ Achilles heel this season, having beaten them in both meetings during the season – their only losses for the season.
Wandana started like a team possessed with Tania de Koning-Ward in great form taking the first mixed with Rohan Perrott 6-1.
The second mixed was a titanic struggle, but Robyn and Phil O’Donoghue won through in a tie-break, then Robyn teamed up with Sharon Lee to take the ladies 6-1.
From there the tide began to turn. Mark Hagebols and Hudson Choong came from behind to take the men’s in a tie-break, then continuing their good form in the reverse mixed which the Springs won 6-4 and 6-3.
The three wins to the Springs put the match at three sets all, but the game difference was too great earning Wandana the week off, awaiting the winner of Clifton Springs and Ocean Grove, who they will face in the grand final.
