26 January 2012 | Tennis Victoria

By Edwin Smith

It was a Kooyong double at the National Tennis League finals today, with the men’s and women’s team both posting impressive victories in the final of the pilot three-state competition at Melbourne Park on Thursday.

The Kooyong men’s team faced-off against Dingley in an all-Victorian final, as both teams qualified after winning through the pool rounds.

Each match in this competition consists of two sets of four games, with a tie-breaker in the third set if required.

Kooyong won the opening doubles rubbers when John Peers and Andrew Whittington took out David Vukansinec and Andrew Poustie 5-4 4-2 in the shortened format.

David Bidmeade and Daniel Byrnes then doubled the advantage for Kooyong with a 4-1 4-2 victory over Matthew Carrol and Daniel Wendler.

Peers backed up his doubles win with a convincing 4-1 4-1 singles victory over Carrol, and although Vukansinec pegged one back for Dingley with a hard-fought 5-3 4-2 win over Slater, it was all over when Bidmeade beat Robert Phillips 4-1.

The women’s team made it two from two for Kooyong, capping an impressive tournament for the Victorian club with victory over the Flagstaff Freighters.

Kooyong didn’t drop a set in the final, racing away with the match after Sally Peers and Karolina Wlodarczak defeated Ashley Keir and Kimberly Ruxton 5-3 5-4 and kick-started the final.

This was followed up with another Kooyong doubles win when Molly Polak and Kate Antosik defeated Emily Webley-Smith and Olivia Lukaszewicz 5-4 2-4 7-5.

The final two singles matches were won by Peers, who beat Lukaszewicz 4-0 4-2, and Wlodarczak, who defeated Webley-Smith 4-1 4-2.

The National Tennis League is designed to give Australian tennis players a chance to play professional matches within Australia, with past professionals, current players and top juniors all becoming involved.

Players such as Matthew Ebden, Alicia Molik and Luke Saville have competed for their respective clubs in the competitions pilot year.

To qualify for the National Tennis League final, clubs had to fight their way through their respective state leagues, with the top two clubs from Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia qualifying.

Long-term, it is hoped the league will eventually expand into Asia.