8 March 2016 | Tennis Victoria
The 2016 Tennis Victoria Premier League kicked off at the weekend, with players battling extreme temperatures as Bendigo soared to almost 40 degrees.
Bendigo Tennis Association hosted the first round of the men’s competition, with officials carefully monitoring temperatures as they edged towards 38 degrees.
Home of the Country All Stars, the only country team in the competition showed they are legitimate contenders with an emphatic 5 rubbers to 1 victory against Royal South Yarra Lawn Tennis Club, moving them into equal first on the ladder.
In other men’s matches, defending champions Grace Park Hawthorn Club started the season strongly with a commanding 5 rubbers to 1 victory against Bundoora while the number 1 preseason ranked team Kooyong Lawn defeated Dingley in a thriller by just 3 games.
“It was a strong start from the Country All Stars in our first up match,” said team manager Leon Retallick. “With quite a young team we knew it was important to get the season off to a good start. It was very pleasing to get four singles wins, with Adam Lasky’s win over Aaron Leeder-Chard a highlight of the afternoon in a tight match.
“We’re now looking forward to a massive test against title favourites Kooyong this Thursday.”
Mornington Tennis Centre hosted the women’s opening round, with the number 1 preseason rated team MCC Tennis Section showed why they are league favourites overcoming Kooyong Lawn in a thriller winning by 1 game, despite missing key players Zoe Hives and Jaimee Fourlis.
In other matches, League dark horses Liston powered past the youthful Dendy Park winning 6 rubbers to 0, with Liston’s Viktorija Rajicic in ominous form. The home side Mornington also started the season emphatically with a 6 rubbers to 0 victory over Royal South Yarra Lawn, led by number 1 player Mary Ann Liu.
Round 2 will be played this Thursday 10 March with the men’s super-round to be played at Dingley and the women’s super-round at Royal South Yarra Lawn TC. Matches will commence at 6:30pm at both venues.
Tennis Victoria Premier League Ladders after Round 1
Men
| 1. Grace Park Hawthorn Club | 7 Points |
| 2. Country All Stars | 7 points |
| 3. Kooyong Lawn TC | 5 points |
| 4. Dingley TC | 3 points |
| 5. Royal South Yarra Lawn TC | 1 point |
| 6. Bundoora TC | 1 point |
Women
| Mornington TC | 8 points |
| Liston TC | 8 points |
| MCC Tennis Section | 5 points |
| Kooyong Lawn TC | 3 points |
| Dendy Park TC | 0 points |
| Royal South Yarra Lawn TC | 0 points |
All Match Results can be found by clicking here http://leagues.tennis.com.au/league/division/info/3302/Women’s+League
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