Rain almost ruined tennis events across the Bellarine Peninsula on Sunday, but a “bit of hard work” ensured the courts were ready for play by 1pm.
Tennis Geelong president Donna Schoenmaekers thanked organisers for their hard slog getting courts ready at Drysdale and Barwon Heads, after morning showers, for two Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) events.
UTR pits players of a similar rating against each other for competitive match play rather than grouping them by age or grade.
“Players are able to improve their rating by playing against players of their own standard regardless of age or gender,” Schoenmaekers explained.
The system rates players on a scale of 1 to 16.5, including international competitors. For example, World number one Novak Djokovich currently holds a UTR of 15.77.
North Geelong indoor tennis arena Centre Court hosted the 1-2.99 band with nine juniors playing the round robin event.
The event attracted participants from across Geelong and Melbourne, with a mix of girls and boys playing each other in the three-set six-game matches.
“The kids and parents enjoyed the fact that the draw was ability-based rather than age-based, and the matches were all competitive,” Schoenmaekers said.
Drysdale hosted the 3-4.99 player rating range, which brought 17 players from a broad range of ages together.
“The older players were giving advice to the younger ones during the games,” Schoenmaekers said.
The event hosted four groups of players facing off in three Fast4 sets.
“Overall it was a great day, with the showers of the morning becoming a bright, sunny afternoon and some fantastic tennis on show,” Schoenmaekers said.
Barwon Heads hosted the 5-6.99 band with eight players of varying ages competing in two groups playing three Fast4 sets each match.
“The matches were of a high quality, with most of the senior players getting a good taste for singles, which is not a usual feature of Tennis Geelong’s adult competition,” Schoenmaekers said.
UTR doubles events will take place at Surf Coast, Ocean Grove, Moolap and Lara tennis clubs this weekend.
Details: myutr.com
