12 July 2011 | Tennis Queensland

Tennis Queensland’s Winter Wonderland came to a close on Saturday with the finals of the 2011 Tennis+Gear Online Rod Laver Queensland Junior Championships at the Queensland Tennis Centre.

Spectators gathered to watch the state’s brightest young stars compete for the title of champion in each of their age groups. Players competed for singles and doubles titles in 8/U, 10/U, 12/U, 16/U and 18/U.

Tournament director, Matt Richards was delighted with the event.

“It was a marvellous event because we got to see Queensland’s brightest young junior players in action,” Richards enthused.

“It was great to see all the age group finals being played at the same venue for the first time at the Queensland Tennis Centre.”

Unlike other junior events, the Tennis+Gear Online Rod Laver Queensland Junior Championships are formatted as a qualifying/main draw tournament, which is similar to the way an ATP/WTA event is run. This means participants have to earn their place in the draw according to their ranking or by qualifying, which helps ensure a similar standard between opponents. 

“I have been pleased with the feedback received regarding the format for the tournament,” Richards said.

“Players from Under 8 years through to 18 years played in a minimum of five matches during the week. It culminated in an amazing finals day at QTC with sunshine and blue skies.”

This year saw the introduction of an 8/U orange ball competition which Richards declared a success.

For full results from the 2011 Tennis+Gear Online Rod Laver Queensland Junior Championships click here.

For photos from the Tennis+Gear Rod Laver Queensland Junior Championships click here.