12 April 2011 | Tennis Queensland

Thirteen year-old Naiktha Bains (Brookfield, QLD) showed she is a rising star to watch, winning the Optus 16s National Claycourt Championship in straight sets over No.2 seed Molly Polak (Yarraville, QLD) in the girls singles final at the George Alder Tennis Centre in Ipswich today.

“My plan today was definitely to stay aggressive, positive and keep doing what I have been doing all week”, said Bains, who although unseeded, won the tournament without dropping a set.
 
Entering the match as the underdog, Bains showed no signs of nerves as she jumped to a 5-1 lead in the opening set.  Polak then sprang into action, the 16 year-old getting her game back on track to break back twice and level the set at 5-all.  Bains managed to hold serve to take a 6-5 lead and two crucial double faults by Polak in the next game helped Bains close out the opening set 7-5. 
 
“Molly started hitting to my backhand a lot more, rallying a bit more and being more patient which I found a bit tough,” Bains said.

The second set was an exact replica of the opening set, with Bains jumping out to a 4-1 lead before Polak broke back to level at 4-all.  After taking a 5-4 lead, Bains was able to close out the match on her first match point with a scintillating forehand winner down the line. 

“I probably went into the week not thinking I could do this well, I knew I could do reasonably well, but this is great.”

This is Bains’ second national championship this year after winning the Optus 14s National Grasscourt Championships in Mildura in February.  Naiktha has also recently been chosen (alongside fellow Queenslander Lizette Cabrera) to represent Australia in the 14/U World Junior Tennis Qualifying Championships. The girls are hoping to get through the initial Asia/Oceanic Region rounds to reach the top 16 teams and equal or better last year’s result, which was third in the world! 

In other Optus 16/U National Claycourt Championship news:

Top seed Rhys Johnson (Perth, WA) won his first national junior championship, defeating fourth seeded Victorian, Daniel Guccione (Bundoora, VIC) 6-3 6-2. 

Johnson, aged 16, was a class above the field this week and continued his impressive form with a 6-3 6-2 victory.  Johnson is the first Western Australian player to win the 16/u national claycourt championship in more than 20 years!

“I’m extremely honoured to have won it, I know only a few players have ever won this title from Western Australia”, said Johnson, who broke inside the Top 100 on the Australian Rankings this month for the first time and is now the seventh highest ranked player from Western Australia. 

Guccione, who turned 15 in February, played his second consecutive national junior championship singles final after reaching the final of the Optus 14s Australian Championships at Melbourne Park in December. 

In the doubles final the unseeded Queensland pair Lizette Cabrera (Townsville, QLD) and Olivia Tjandramulia (Rockhampton, QLD), both just 13 years of age, upset the top seeds, Ashley Keir (Nicholls, ACT) and Gussie O’Sullivan (Murrumbeena, VIC) 3-6 6-2 12-10.  This made it consecutive national doubles championships for the regional Queensland duo after they won the Optus 14s National Grasscourt Championships in Mildura in February! Cabrera and Tjandramulia have both won national junior doubles championships in the 12/u age group with different partners. 

In the boys doubles final Guccione shook off his loss in the singles final, teaming with fellow Victorian, Oliver Ceranic, taking out their first national junior doubles championship with a straight sets win over New South Wales pair, Jordan Smith and Andrew Riminton 6-3 6-2.

The Optus National Junior Championships continue in Ipswich tomorrow with the start of the 14/u age group. The Optus 12s National Claycourt Championships commences in Ipswich on April 20. 

The Optus Junior Tour provides a clear competitive pathway for aspiring tennis players and in 2011 will offer Australian Ranking points across five levels – Platinum (also known as the Optus National Junior Championships), Gold, Silver, Bronze and White.

These tournaments offer points across the 12/u, 14/u and 16/u age groups, with select tournaments also offering points in the 18/u age group. In total, 185 tournaments across Australia make up the Optus Junior Tour in 2011, giving all juniors the opportunity to obtain an Australian Ranking.

The final results are listed below:

Boys 16/u Singles Final
Rhys Johnson (1), WA, def. Daniel Guccione (4), VIC, 6-3 6-2

Girls 16/u Singles Final
Naiktha Bains, QLD, def. Molly Polak (2), VIC, 7-5 6-4

Girls 16/u Doubles Final
Lizette Cabrera/Olivia Tjandramulia, QLD, def. Ashley Keir, ACT/Gussie O’Sullivan (1), VIC, 3-6 6-2 [12-10]

Boys 16/u Doubles Final
Oliver Ceranic/Daniel Guccione (4), VIC def. Andrew Riminton/Jordan Smith (6), NSW 6-3 6-2