WA girls and boys teams, who would have been seeded 5th before the competition, exceeded expectations at the Super 10 National Finals held this week concurrent with the Australian Open by finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Super 10s is quickly becoming a big feature of the junior development program in Australia and the National Finals is an extraordinary experience for the children who qualify. They each had a hit with the Davis Cup and Fed cup teams who were in town preparing for ties in France and Hobart.
The opening address was given by Pat Rafter who emphasized the importance of effort stating that the Davis and Fed Cup teams are selected on that basis. The kids were able to watch some play at Rod Laver Arena, walk the grounds during a grand slam, eat in a players lounge and just absorb the Grand Slam atmosphere.
In the preliminary rounds both teams had comprehensive wins over the Northern Territory and ACT. The girls went on to beat Queensland while the boys lost to the eventual champion boys from Queensland, but both teams made the Championship draw.
Lauren Nikoloski, Talia Gibson, Joe McCarthy, Skye Royall and Emily Lind
In the semi-finals the boys nearly defeated heavily favored Victoria on clay; losing 3 rubbers to 3 but with 4 less total games in a count back.
Max Weir, Ryan McConkey, John Roberts, Ethan Cook and Matt Burton
The final day was very exciting as the end result for both teams went down to the final doubles match. Lauren and Talia won their doubles against NSW to secure second place.
In a match acknowledged by the organizers to be the most exciting played, the result at the end was determined by the very last point in a sudden death deuce. Ryan McConkey had a clutch singles win against NSW at # 2 in the morning but struggled throughout the doubles. However, on the final point of the tournament Ryan found the nerve to land not only a second serve but to defend a powerful forehand return and the next shot gave the hot hand of the finals, Ethan Cook, a chance to volley which he did for a winner.
Ethan’s play on the last two days was exceptional and Pat Cash’s coach Ian Barclay saw fit to give Ethan one of the 6 outstanding player awards.
Super 10s is a team effort meant to be an introduction to Davis/Fed Cup type play, teamwork and life on the road. The WA players held up well and every player made a significant contribution to the good result. The coaches Joe McCarthy and John Roberts thought each player accepted their roles in the team, displayed good behavior, good sportsmanship and tried their best throughout leading to a pleasing result for WA.
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