10 April 2012 | Tennis Queensland

Top seed Sara Tomic (Southport, Qld) claimed her first national junior title yesterday after winning the Optus 14s National Claycourt Championships in Ipswich.

In the girls’ event, Tomic cruised through the final defeating No.2 seed and doubles partner Lizette Cabrera (Townsville, Qld) in straight sets 6-2 6-2.

The Queenslander had played a series of long three-set matches en route to the last round, and was delighted with her result and the way she played on Sunday.

“It’s a good feeling, I felt great on court and I’m really happy with the win. It’s really hard to play one of your best friends,” said Tomic, who is currently ranked No.75 in the Australian Rankings.

“You try to go out there and play your game and if it works well it works well.”

In the boys’ singles final, Purcell recovered from a set down to defeat No.1 seed Brian Tran (Greystanes, NSW) 3-6 6-4 6-3, capturing his first title in 2 hours and 25 minutes.

Purcell led the head to head count 2-0 against Tran leading into the match and was able to capitalise on his past performances to win his first championship.

“I’m stoked to win my first title. It was a pretty grinding match and we both played relatively well,” said Purcell.

“I’ve played Brian twice before, with each match going to three sets and going my way.”

Like Tomic, Purcell will compete in the Queensland Junior Claycourt International in Bundaberg this week, as he aims to compete in Europe and win a second national junior title.

In the doubles event, Tomic and Cabrera were upset by second seeds Chloe Hule (Morphett Vale, SA) and Katerina Valos (Moonee Ponds, Vic) 6-4 2-6 [10-5]. While in the boys’ doubles final, unseeded pair Caleb Boland (Lysterfield, Vic) and Akira Santillan (Brisbane, Qld) continued their blitzing of the field, defeating fourth seeds Cody Brackenreg (Heathmont, Vic) and David Hough (Traralgon, Vic) in straight sets 7-6(7) 6-4. 

The Optus National Claycourt Championships will continue on Tuesday 10 April with the start of the Optus 12s event.

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

The tournaments offer points across the 12/u, 14/u and 16/u age groups, with select events also offering points in the 18/u age group.  In total, 211 tournaments across Australia will make up the Optus Junior Tour in 2012, giving all juniors the opportunity to obtain an Australian Ranking.

Full draws from the Optus 14s National Claycourt Championships are available here http://tournaments.tennis.com.au