By Jess Brow
The ACT Junior Open began today with young competitors travelling from as far as Tasmania to compete in the first day of the event.
The competition is an Australian Rankings Points event for boys and girls aged 12-16 years.
With 118 competitors and 84 matches being played today it was a great start to the tournament.
Each age group progressed quickly through matches with quarterfinals and consolation rounds scheduled for tomorrow morning.
It was also the first time in a number of tournaments that a younger group of players were a part of the action.
Ten, ten-year old boys participated in a round robin, which saw them playing 36 games against four different opponents.
Tennis coach, Kristine Richardson, was on hand to help out the youngsters and provide support in what could be considered a very daunting experience.
“Today there was a huge emphasis on getting the kids to play a lot of matches and just gain experience and feel more confident on the court,” said Richardson.
“You don’t want these juniors to get discouraged if the first tournament they play they lose in the first round, because they won’t want to play in another tournament again,” she added.
The ten-year old competition finished today with Hayden Okines and Nicholas Fitzgerald set to play in tomorrow morning’s final.
The action will continue tomorrow with the second day of play commencing from 8am. Click here for all match schedules, draws and results.
Latest
ACT