It was the first week of finals for almost all grades in Tennis Geelong’s Senior Pennant with semi-finals held across the region.
Western Heights Uniting featured in both Men’s 1 and 2 elimination finals, and just made it over the line in both.
Surfcoast Torquay were formidable competition in Men’s 1 with three sets going to 7-5 or a tie-break, but the Heights won 4-2 while Ocean Grove got even closer in Men’s 2, with two 7-5 and two tiebreaks. The Heights won by two games while even on sets.
Four of the seven mixed section elimination finals went the way of ladder position. Moriac were two for two with their Mixed 1 team beat Grovedale Yellow 4-2 – the difference winning both Men’s and Women’s while the mixed were split. The Mixed 4 team did the same, but with tiebreaks in both Men’s and Women’s proving the difference.
Moolap continued Grovedale’s poor showing with a 5-1 win over the Mixed 2 Yellow team. Grovedale took the first mixed, but Moolap improved and didn’t let the opposition trouble the scoreboard again.
Wandana Heights charged through the first five sets in Mixed 3 against Surfcoast Torquay Blue.
The Open sections produced some of the closest results and a couple of upsets.
Newcomb were not one of them in Open 1 where they and Wandana Heights had registered good wins against the other during home and away. This time Newcomb pulled out their best form to win the tie 4-0.
Moolap muscled Ocean Grove out of third spot in Round 14 to earn a home final in Open 2 and took full advantage. Connor Chivell set the tone, winning the first singles 6-0, 6-1 and followed in the doubles with Chris Forsyth 7-5, 6-0. Moolap winners 3-1.
Highton’s Open 7 team also had a 3-1 win over Geelong Lawn. Highton won the first singles and doubles, before closing out the win in the second doubles where Dean Lehmann backed up for his second rubber.
From here, things were a little more tense with four sections tied on rubbers and decided on sets or games.
Waurn Ponds White took an early lead over Ocean Grove in Open 3, but the Grove fought back in the reverse rubbers.
Open 4 saw Wandana Heights and Ocean Grove Blue face off with the result in doubt to the end. Hamish McNaughton took the first singles 13-11 in the super tie-break for Wandana while Lachie Treharne and Luke Cronwright had a slightly easier time in the doubles winning 6-4, 6-4.
Treharne backed up in the singles winning 6-3, 6-3 giving Ocean Grove the advantage, but with the doubles tied at a set all, the Grove had the set advantage, despite McNaughton and Jensen Wong winning the super 10-8. Ocean Grove progressed by four sets and six games.
In Open 5 Grovedale’s Yellow and Black teams met. Isaac Graham opened the tally for Black while Andrew Smith and Hiro Sekine countered for Yellow.
Smith started well in the reverse singles winning 6-3 while Graham teamed with Rebekah Schoenmaekers in the doubles to win their first set in a tie-break.
Smith continued his consistent play to take the second set, but Graham and Schoenmaekers put the foot down to win their second set 6-2 to give Black the win by three games.
Lara hosted Highton Gold in Open 7 and Jacob Harland overcame Jak Caddy in the first singles 10-7 for Highton while Sam Caddy and Streicher Jansen van Vuren won for Lara. Joshua Palmer edged out Max Harbison in the reverse singles, but Sam Caddy and Jansen van Vuren won their doubles in straight sets and Lara kept their season alive.
