18 December 2018 | Tennis West

Tennis West Competition and Tournaments Manager, Loretta Hughes, and Cottseloe Club President, Ian Hutton, with promising junior players, Zach Viiala and Jessie Culley. 

 

In a boon for WA tennis, Cottesloe Tennis Club has been named as the host of the 2019 National Grasscourt Junior Championships, to be held from 7-12 October 2019.

 

The National Grasscourt Junior Championships is a prominent junior circuit tournament, with a history dating back to the 1970’s. The event will attract the nation’s top 12/u and 14/u juniors, with many travelling to Western Australia for up to four weeks as part of a swing of grass court tournaments, that also includes the WA Junior Open at Dalkeith Tennis Club and the prestigious Bruce Cup National Title at Alexander Park Tennis Club.

 

WA players will be looking to continue their recent success at National events, after a successful December Showdown campaign that has already produced four National Champions from WA, including Derek Pham and Talia Gibson who took out the 14/U Singles Titles at the Australian Championships in Melbourne last week. The WA 14/u Girls Team also took out the National 14s Teams Competition today at after defeating Japan in the Final.

 

WA has a talented crop of 12/U and 14/U players who will be keen to capitalize on the home ground advantage offered at Cottesloe Tennis Club. Among them, Cottesloe local, Jessie Culley and rising star Zach Viiala.

 

Both Culley and Viiala have enjoyed success at Nationals events, with the pair crowned 12/U National Claycourt Champions in 2017. Culley was also a quarter finalist at the 2018 Australian Grasscourt Championships in Adelaide.

 

Zach Viiala has had a huge year domestically and internationally and will look to continue his winning form in 2019 on home soil. The number 1 player in Australia for his age group, Viiala has dominated the competition, winning tournament after tournament, and was selected to represent Australia at the prestigious Longines Future Tennis Aces Tournament held in Paris, France earlier in the year.

 

Tennis West Competition and Tournaments Manager, Loretta Hughes, says it’s important that young players be exposed to playing on different surfaces to ensure their competitiveness as they progress through the ranks.

 

“The faster ball that comes off a grass court requires increased concentration and agility. Our young players will benefit greatly from playing in a national tournament on home turf” Hughes said.

 

Tennis Australia Tournament Development Manager, Francis Soyer is looking forward to bringing the Grasscourt Championships to WA.

 

“This will be the first National Championship we have hosted in Western Australia since 2009 and we know Tennis West and the Cottesloe Tennis Club will help us put on a great event for everyone involved” Soyer said.

 

Cottesloe Tennis Club, who will likely have a large cohort of junior players competing in the event, are already preparing their courts for the tournament, to ensure that they are in the best possible condition by October.

 

Club President, Ian Hutton is delighted that Cottesloe was chosen to host one of the country’s premier junior events.

 

“Cottesloe Tennis Club is thrilled to be chosen as the host venue for the upcoming Grasscourt Nationals Event”

 

“Tournaments like these provide valuable competitive playing opportunities for our local juniors who would normally have to travel interstate for National Championship Events”

 

“Furthermore, Cottesloe is proud to play host to interstate visitors who will be able to enjoy playing on some of the best grass courts in Australia” Mr Hutton said.

 

The National Junior Championships are the pinnacle events of the Australian junior tournament calendar, and have in the past been won by some of Australia’s best tennis players, including Nick Kyrgios (ACT), Thanasi Kokkinakis (SA), Casey Dellacqua (WA), Ashleigh Barty (Qld), and rising stars Destanee Aiava (Vic), and Alex De Minaur (NSW)

 

The 2019 National Grasscourt Championships will be held from 7-12 October 2019 at the Cottesloe Tennis Club.