It was the semi-finals for 17 of Tennis Geelong’s 25 junior sections last week, and in near perfect conditions 13 matches were decided by games advantage, and in four sections both matches went this way.
Section 2 Girls saw second placed Ocean Grove White get over minor premier Drysdale by four games, and fourth placed Surfcoast Torquay bested club rival Surfcoast Jan Juc by two games.
White was helped by Drysdale being a player short, but Torquay and Jan Juc fought down to the wire.
The match started with the doubles, with the first going to Torquay’s Ruby Markovic and Sienna Clatworthy 6-4 while Jan Juc’s Immy Richards and Juliet Muscroft took a tie-breaker 6-5.
The first two singles matches were split with Sachi Bridgeford for Jan Juc and Mackenzie Walters for Torquay both winning 6-2, leaving Torquay one game ahead going into the final two singles.
Again, the sets hard fought and again split with Immy Richards taking her set for Jan Juc 6-2 but Sienna Clatworthy sealed the win for Torquay, winning 6-1.
Section 1 Boys also had both matches tied at three sets all, with second placed Barwon Heads getting up by one game over Geelong Lawn Black, while Geelong Lawn White ended club rival Geelong Lawn Green’s finals campaign with a seven game win.
Black started well in the first semi with Rhys McNabb, Illija Sasic and Sibimanyu Jothikumar winning their singles 6-4, 6-4 and 6-3, while Finn McNeilly had a tough fought win for the Heads’ only set 7-6.
With a three sets to one lead with six games in hand, Black was in the box seat going into the doubles, but Curtis Fitzgerald and Finn McNeilly got up 7-5, while Jack Remilton and Lily Duff sealed the victory for the Heads with a convincing 6-1 win.
Section 9 Boys saw the home teams take the win in both matches. The combined Drysdale/Clifton Springs team split the sets right through with Geelong Lawn, but the minor premier managed to stay ahead on games through the match.
Highton and Wandana Heights also kept their match close with the teams alternating sets.
Wandana started with a four game advantage after the first two sets, but Highton clawed its way back and eventually finished with a two game lead.
The closest section of the season was Section 14, and their finals results continued in the same vein.
Bannockburn and All Saints alternated sets but the minor premiers managed to eke out a three game win.
Geelong Lawn and Waurn Ponds battled it out in the second semi in a seesawing match. Lawn took the first two sets 6-3, 6-4, but the Ponds countered taking the final two singles 6-5, 6-4.
The doubles went one set each way, but with a 6-1 win and 6-4 loss, Lawn finished with a five game lead, and a match up with All Saints this week.
