4 July 2023 | Tennis Queensland

27 First Nations tennis stars are set to represent Queensland at the upcoming National Indigenous Tennis Carnival (NITC) in Darwin next month from 10-13 August. The annual carnival is the pinnacle event in the calendar for First Nations youth and sees hundreds of players come together from across the country to participate in a festival of tennis and celebration of culture.

Regional lead-in events have taken place across Queensland ahead of the carnival, providing more opportunities for First Nations youth to play and engage with tennis.

From these lead-in events, a handful of participants gained selection in the Queensland team, in addition to performance players selected on their current ratings.

Players have the opportunity to compete across three event pathways, with cumulative results from the carnival determining which state will be crowned the 2023 Ash Barty Cup Champions!

Last year’s event saw the likes of Evonne Goolagong-Cawley attend to mentor participants across the carnival, with the former World No.1 sharing valuable knowledge from her journey as a tennis player and First Nations person.

Tennis Australia First Nations Lead Kyah Jones says, “The National Indigenous Tennis Carnival is an incredible celebration, bringing together hundreds of young First Nations people from across the country to participate in a festival of tennis and First Nations culture.”

“I’m so proud of how we’ve been able to bring tennis to each state and territory and combine the on-court competition with a range of culturally immersive experiences to so many young First Nations people across Australia.

“It’s so rewarding to see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth trying tennis for the first time … I love seeing those big smiles – the enthusiasm is infectious, and we hope that through these events we can help discover the next Evonne Goolagong or Ash Barty.”

QUEENSLAND TEAM

NATIONAL INDIGENOUS TENNIS CARNIVAL SHOWDOWN (14&U)
Casey Bounghi	Cairns	Far North Region
Jesse Howard	Ipswich	Metro
Sophia Kawane	Cairns	Far North Region

 

NATIONAL INDIGENOUS TENNIS CARNIVAL SHOWDOWN (18&U)
Lawrence Dufficy	North Stradbroke	Metro
Rhylee Jackson	Brisbane	Metro
Giselle Kawane	Cairns	Far North Region
Amali Zillman	Gold Coast	Gold Coast Region

 

NATIONAL INDIGENOUS TENNIS CARNIVAL FUTURE STARS
William Beck	Mossman	Far North Region
Olivia Forde	Chinchilla	South Region
Shaylee Haynes	Cairns	Far North Region
Drew Hinch	St George	South Region
Bella Merrick-Reilly	Tara	South Region
Tora-lyn Namok	Cairns	Far North Region
Ashleigh Rookwood	Cairns	Far North Region
Geoffrey Rynne	Cunnamulla	South Region
Goothala Rynne	Cunnamulla	South Region
Kelsey Weribone	St George	South Region
Phillip Yock	Cunnamulla	South Region

 

NATIONAL INDIGENOUS TENNIS CARNIVAL HOT SHOTS
Marcella Banu	Mt Garnett	Far North Region
Jamaya Bond	Yarrabah	Far North Region
Sedeequa Clevin	Toowoomba	South Region
Peter Davidson	Yarrabah	Far North Region
Dwayne Cannon	Mareeba	Far North Region
Keeanah Saunders	St George	South Region
Jakobee Saunders	St George	South Region
Tia Singleton	Yarrabah	Far North Region
Taliana Yeatman	Yarrabah	Far North Region

TEAM MANAGERS

Rebecca Herbert
Cody Meagher

FIRST NATIONS LEADERS
Shari Woodbridge
Geoff Rynne
Keiryn Lenoy
Keiren Gibbs