Sydney, New South Wales, 4 November 2024 | Rhys de Deugd

Two Aussie tennis stars shone brightly in Sydney this week to be crowned Australian Pro Tour singles champions at the 2024 Perpetual NSW Open.

Fresh off her history-making ITF Junior World Tour Finals victory, 16-year-old Emerson Jones cemented her name as a rising star of the future, while 28-year-old established star Thanasi Kokkinakis reminded us of his credentials as he returned to the winners’ circle.

The NSW Open was Kokkinakis’ seventh ATP Challenger title, his first in Australia, and saw him soaring back into the world’s top 80 this week in the ATP rankings.

The South Australian went through the entire tournament without dropping a set and scored his most emphatic victory in in the final over top seed Rinky Hijikata with an impressive 6-1 6-1 win.

Lil Sydney trip ✅ pic.twitter.com/7qKGXLiI1O

— Thanasi Kokkinakis (@TKokkinakis) November 3, 2024

“It has been a great week for me and my team. This is my first ATP Challenger title on home soil, which makes it a very special win for me,” Kokkinakis said.

“Thank you to everyone who put the tournament on, despite the rain delays everything still managed to run smoothly, and I have really enjoyed my time here at the NSW Open.”

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In the women’s singles, the future of Australian tennis was truly on display as Jones held off fellow teenager Taylah Preston in a hard-fought final 6-4 7-6(3).

The teenager defeated three of Australia’s top-10 women on her way to her first ITF singles title to add to her eight junior titles, including the top two seeds Talia Gibson and Preston in succession.

“It was a tough final and Taylah played amazing,” Jones said. “I have played some of my best tennis this week and I am really proud of what I have accomplished. I couldn’t have done it without my team and know my family are watching at home in Queensland.”

The Australian Pro Tour will return next week at the Queensland Tennis Centre for the Brisbane QTC Tennis International.

Find your way to play: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!