After a wonderful tennis year, on Friday night we celebrate tennis in Western Australia and recognise the outstanding achievements of our state’s junior and senior players, clubs, coaches, schools, volunteers, officials and administrators of our sport.
Here is all the 2021/22 Tennis West Awards Finalists for each category.
KAREN BUCENS AWARD
TALIA EDGAR
Talia is a prime example of the National Academy values of being competitive, coachable, and committed. Talia is a role model for the next generation of WA with her discipline and work ethic she puts into every training session. Talia’s fun and bubbly personality makes every session fun and enjoyable, balanced by her initiative to be the first one to effectively push everyone around her to be their best. Talia’s hard work resulted in her making the final in the 2022 Girls Busselton Toyota Junior Tour, winning the WA Day Open doubles event and being a finalist in Hensman Park 18/U doubles, the Busselton Toyota Junior Tour doubles, and the Alexander Park Prizemoney doubles event.
RIANA TAN
Renowned for hard work, dedication, and an incredible attitude both on and off the court, Riana’s diligent training regime shows in her impeccable record of never missing a training session and always giving 100% effort in both training and tournaments. Taking advantage of every opportunity possible to improve her game, Riana is always practicing her serve first thing in the morning at the State Tennis Centre. Competing regularly in Women’s division 1 on the weekend, Riana was able to take out the 14/U Perth Junior Premier Hardcourt event and a finalist in 14/U Perth Signature Junior Grass court series at Alexander Park.
KENT YAMAZAKI AWARD
KEVIN HERBERT
Regularly applauded at tournaments by officials, parents and players, Kevin is well respected for his great sportsmanship and respectful attitude. Kevin always gives 100% at training and is a mentor to his peers with his dedication to the NDS program. Kevin is always the first player attending the gym for his morning S & C sessions and he continues to keep pushing himself to meet his full potential. Kevin embodies the Kent Yamazaki and Bob Brett Foundation’s three key values of Grit, Passion and Friendship.
JAKE DEMBO
Jake is fierce competitor who’s on court tenacity is feared by his opponents. Jake’s work ethic and attention to detail on improving his game is second to none. Jake became a regular on the junior ITF tour this year, competing in many events and representing Australia at the World Junior Tennis Teams event in India. Jake also had the unique opportunity to compete at the prestigious Wimbledon 14/U event after claiming the national title in in Albury, NSW and cementing himself as the number 1 ranked 14/U boy in Australia. On the world stage, Jake is currently ranked number 2 for his birthyear based on the ITF junior rankings. Jake was also a member of the winning WA Pizzey Cup team and was a finalist at the Australian Singles event.
KC AUSTRALIA JUNIOR TENNIS STAR AWARD
TALIA GIBSON
Ranked the No.1 female player in Australia for the 2004 birth year, even without playing any tournaments in 2020 and 2021, Talia has made her mark on the ITF Women’s tour this year. In 2022, she won 15 consecutive matches to secure victory in three 15K titles in the USA and in Australia – an impressive achievement. Talia also won her first professional doubles title in Thailand as well as a singles finalist. At the start of 2022, Talia was rewarded with a wild card into the qualifying of her first Grand Slam event at the Australian Open. Under the watchful eye of highly experienced Australian tennis coach David Taylor, Talia started 2022 with a WTA ranking of 1237 and is now ranked inside the top 500 in the world. Talia is also committed to playing Women’s State League at Peppermint Grove Tennis Club.
TAYLAH PRESTON
An integral part of Greenwood Tennis Club, Taylah is the No. 1 female player in Australia for the 2005 birth year. Taylah has had an impressive year on both the ITF junior and WTA tour. Taylah finished 2021 with a J3 singles title on the Gold Coast and was then rewarded with a wild card at the beginning of 2022 into the qualifying of the Australia Open. Taylah took out former top 10 player Sara Errani, which earned her a WTA ranking for the first time. Taylah catapulted into the top 10 of ITF junior world rankings after J1 victories in Thailand as well as the UK and was a doubles semi-finalist at both the Australian and US Opens. Taylah also reached the top 650 on the WTA rankings after qualifying for the first time in a WTA event in Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
JAKE DEMBO
Jake is fierce competitor who’s on court tenacity is feared by his opponents. Jake’s work ethic and attention to detail on improving his game is second to none. Jake became a regular on the junior ITF tour this year, competing in many events and representing Australia at the World Junior Tennis Teams event in India. Jake also had the unique opportunity to compete at the prestigious Wimbledon 14/U event after claiming the national title in in Albury, NSW and cementing himself as the number 1 ranked 14/U boy in Australia. On the world stage, Jake is currently ranked number 2 for his birthyear based on the ITF junior rankings. Jake was also a member of the winning WA Pizzey Cup team and was a finalist at the Australian Singles event.
Jake will also be playing State League in the summer at the University of WA.
LILY FAIRCLOUGH
A lefty with a big game, Lily finished 2021 will some great ITF junior results in Queensland. Lily made back-to-back semi-finals in both singles and doubles which led to her being rewarded a main draw wild card into the 2022 Junior Australian Open. Lily kept improving her junior ranking by playing in Europe, followed by great success back home in Sydney with back-to- back J2 doubles titles as well as a singles to semi-final to reach the top 200 on the world junior rankings. Lily was also able to obtain a WTA ranking for the first time after making the semi-finals of 15K event in Caloundra. Lily was the winning captain of the WA Pizzey Cup team and won the Australia Singles event.
WA PRO PLAYER OF THE YEAR
STORM SANDERS
Storm has enjoyed a sensational 12 months, winning her first grand slam title in mixed doubles at the 2022 US Open. This year Storm has won two WTA titles to claim her third and fourth career tiles. Storm took out the Adelaide International, alongside Ash Barty and Bett1 Open Berlin with partner Katerina Siniakova. Storm is in career best form with her doubles ranking of world No. 12 and continues to dominate the double scene.
MATTHEW EBDEN
In career best form, Matthew has achieved one of his best seasons, enjoying his highest ranking in doubles yet as the world No. 24. Matthew’s standout performances throughout the year included a runner up at the 2022 Australian Open, Winning Wimbledon with partner Matt Purcell. Matthew also enjoyed playing in the Wimbledon mixed doubles final with Sam Stosur and making the quarter finals in both the French Open and US Open. On the ATP scene, Matthew took out two tiles at the US Men’s Clay Court Championships and Winston-Salem Open.
ARTHUR MARSHALL COACHING EXCELLENCE: CLUB
MATT BULL – TENNIS FACTORY
Working with the Board, Matt has helped turn a club that had a rapidly declining membership and a poor, concerning financial position to a club that now continues to enjoy a large growth in membership (the highest since the 1990’s) and stable finances. Membership was below 180 when he first started at the club, but this year it is above 380 members. The club won Most Outstanding Large Club at the past two Tennis West Awards nights (2021 and 2019) and continues to prosper. His coaching team has 1 x Master Club Pro, 2 x TA Club Pros, 3 x TA Junior Dev and 1 X TA Community Coach on staff.
IAN KETTERINGHAM- THE TENNIS PRO
Ian is the Tennis Director for the Tennis Pro Team. With over 35 years experience as a player and coach, Ian’s resume is quite extensive.
The Tennis Pro Coaching Business, directed by inclusion expert Ian Ketteringham, hosted Perth’s first Blind and Low Vision social tournament at Nollamara Tennis Club on Sunday the 30th of January 2022. It was a fantastic event showcasing the growing the BLV tennis community and skill.
Ian prepared a day that was inclusive and accessible to BLV players: modified balls that are larger and have a bell inside that allows players to HEAR the location of the ball, modified rules such as 2 bounces instead of 1, and an abundance of support to make each match possible.
RHYS MCDOUGALL- PLAY TENNIS
Rhys always delivers with excellence and professionalism. He continues to have growth in participation and team at the club. Rhys is a calm, good-natured and inspiring coach with a lifetime of experience. He can comfortably and expertly coach any age group effectively. He has 2 daughters, both of whom are learning to play tennis and has become even more knowledgeable in understanding children’s development.
PAV EVENTS COACHING EXCELLENCE: DEVELOPMENT
JAMES CONNELLY – HENSMAN PARK TENNIS CLUB
James is an extremely passionate about not only Hensman Park Tennis but WA Tennis as a whole, as well as guiding athletes to be athletes that parents, coaches and the wider community can be proud of. James believes it is of the utmost importance that WA Athletes are given as many opportunities as possible to travel to compete and therefore consistently travels and provides these opportunities through coaching work and provision of the Kent Yamazaki and Bob Brett Foundation UTR Tournaments run on Sundays with Foundation Director Tomio Yamazaki.
PHILIPP LAMPRECHT – EUROPE TENNIS ACADEMY
Phil is undoubtedly a very dedicated and passionate professional. It is clear to see how well prepared he is for every lesson and clearly sets out objectives of the lesson, as well as being nimble and flexible to make adjustments as required to help his students progress and achieve their many goals. He provides feedback and reports, which include videos and pictures to identify areas to work on and where sees improvement opportunity, as well as outlining how he thinks the objectives can be achieved.
CONCEPT MARKETING COACHING EXCELLENCE: PERFORMANCE
BRAD DYER – GREENWOOD TENNIS CLUB
Brad is part of the Next Step Tennis Academy in Greenwood, a business he developed with his brother Ash. Through his dedication to the development of high-performance athletes, he has coached Taylah Preston at all four junior grand slams in 2022. Taylah is now ranked No.#10 in the world in World Junior ITF rankings.
PHILIPP LAMPRECHT – EUROPE TENNIS ACADEMY
Phil is undoubtedly a very dedicated and passionate professional. It is clear to see how well prepared he is for every lesson and clearly sets out objectives of the lesson, as well as being nimble and flexible to make adjustments as required to help his students progress and achieve their many goals. He provides feedback and reports, which include videos and pictures to identify areas to work on and where sees improvement opportunity, as well as outlining how he thinks the objectives can be achieved.
EMPIRE INSURANCE EXCELLENCE IN OFFICIATING
GLEN CROSBIE
Over the past year Glen Crosbie has contributed significantly to officiating in WA, Australia and the international arena. Glen has shown a tremendous ability to perform under pressure on the world’s biggest stages at the highest level. This includes being selected on base for the Adelaide WTA/ATP Final. Glen’s performances at Wimbledon this year were of the highest quality, highlighted by numerous appearances on show courts at the All-England Club.
NATALIE DELLAMARTA
Natalie is a member of TA Officiating and has been a very active member for the last five years. Natalie has given up her time to travel nationally to events to either referee, be court supervisor or coach as she tirelessly gives back to the national division to help up and coming referees, court supervisors and court monitors. Natalie volunteers her time as an educator via on-line seminars to help with the education of developing our officials locally and nationally. This year, Natalie as became an ITF White Badged Referee and this has enabled her to work at ITF Pro tours and junior events, she has many officials seeking her out as a mentor, testament to her commitment to excellence.
ROSARIO CORVAIA
Over the past year, Rosario Corvaia has contributed tremendously to officiating across Australia, WA and overseas. Rosario has a passion for officiating that is evident to all who work with him. Rosario shows commitment and is known as an extremely reliable official. A highlight in Rosario’s officiating year was to be one of four applicants, selected from a pool of fourteen, to be awarded a ITF Bronze Badge at the Level 3 ITF Officiating School in Orland USA.
SPORTROPHY MOST OUTSTANDING CLUB: SMALL
TOM PRICE TENNIS CLUB
Tom Price Tennis Club is a small club based out of the mining town of Tom Price, it’s a club with a fantastic, dedicated president and committee who strive to do great things for
the community. Although the Club operates without a designated coach, it relies on the committee and helps from the parents to run programs to engage children and adults in Tom Price. Their ability to think outside the box to include various stakeholders and demographics in the community whilst using fully the resources available, is something this club exceeds in.
SOUTH MANDURAH TENNIS CLUB
South Mandurah Tennis Club always strives for excellence and looks for new ways to improve the Club for its members. Their tennis programs cater for all ages and abilities and is run by a large group of volunteers. The Club put in place a strategic plan in 2020 -2025 and have fulfilled all prescribed goals. They have several pennant teams both senior and junior, social play is held on six out of seven days, using all 12 courts available. The Club has junior and senior coaching, disability programs and blind and low vision tennis. South Mandurah Tennis Club continues to host the red ball competition for schools and enjoy a successful partnership with The South Halls Head School. They have also resurfaced six of their courts and built two new.
TENTERDEN TENNIS CLUB
The Tenterden Tennis Club are the only current Tennis Club located within the Shire of Cranbrook. They are an incredibly strong club, now with six courts, they ended last season with over 65 playing members. This club is going from strength to strength. Last year the Shire of Cranbrook and Tennis West worked with the Club to develop a Strategic Plan to continue their successes and guide them on their growth journey and embed core values, this included consultation with internal and external stakeholders. This Plan was one of the pivotal documents that assisted the Club in obtaining key funding to reconstruct and resurface four courts. The attitude and progression of the Club make it the success it is today. Over the years, they have been known to host fun and unique events as well as regular tournaments, which seldom receive less than 100 player nominations.
SPORTROPHY MOST OUTSTANDING CLUB: LARGE
REABOLD TENNIS CLUB
Run by an active board made up of experienced people with a range of specialised skills. Our succession plan is designed to bring people into the Board so they can understand how the Club works and take on other roles within RTC into the future. Th Club has grown membership and participation rates, especially through the Junior and Next Generation programs. RTC has a range of programs including pathways for both junior and senior tennis players including, Hot Shots, Cardio Tennis, Social opportunities, Competitions including the Annual RTC Junior Tournament.
BLUE GUM PARK TENNIS CLUB
Blue Gum Park has a comprehensive approach to developing all aspects of the Club’s offerings, from providing excellent facilities for playing, learning, supporting and inclusive approach to players and their families across all ages and playing abilities. High number of Leagues Teams, both junior and senior. The Club has a State League initiative combined men’s team with Midland and has ticked all the boxes of Tennis West’s Thriving Tennis Communities
HENSMAN PARK TENNIS CLUB
Hensman Park Tennis Club have been historically supportive of Tennis West initiatives including being one of the biggest users of Clubspark, offering the Club as a venue for the south of the river leaders forum and being one of the foundation clubs for Book a Court- Hensman Park Tennis Club is the only club with Men’s, Ladies and Junior Girl and Boys State League Teams. Hensman Park Tennis Club also runs a Wednesday afternoon men’s social tennis group which acts as the tennis equivalent of a men’s shed and provides a great support participants, critical to several members who have experienced the passing of a spouse who are enduring their own ill health.
MOST OUTSTANDING INCLUSION INITIATIVE
BANKSIA UNITED X TENNIS WEST
Abdi has been an excellent champion of leadership through sports and increasing access to sport for people from all walks of life. Through the ERC program at Banksia United, he worked to deliver an 8-week tennis program for Indigenous children at Nollamara Tennis
Club. Abdi has reinvigorated the relationship with Tennis West and ERC and continues to work with the multicultural organisation via the Banksia United Program.
BLIND & LOW VISION TENNIS
Tennis Pro Services Director, Ian Ketteringham and his team, including Dan Bentel, Beth Taylor and Tharaka Fernando, in conjunction with Blind Sports WA and Tennis West, have continued their BLV Program with continued growth and success throughout 2021/22. Running blind low vision group sessions and private lessons from B1 to B4 categories at Alexander Park, Nollamara and The State Tennis Centre, with up to 10 participants. This year saw the first ever BLV social tournament which showcased the possibilities of tournament play in this space.
Three categories of B1, B2 and B3 were catered for and there was some excellent tennis on the day. This tournament will lead to the inaugural BLV Ranking Points Tournament here in WA later this year.
MOST OUTSTANDING EVENT
TENNIS SOUTH WEST
Tennis South West run the annual Busselton Toyota Junior Tour which is a great four day event for competitive tennis in a supportive setting at a great facility in the south west region.
Tennis South West always strives to achieve a supportive team environment for players and families within the community of Busselton or visitors to the region. All the passionate volunteers at the Busselton Tennis Club make the event such a success.
NEDLANDS JUNIOR AMT
Having hosted an outstanding junior event and AMT – as well as being the first tennis club to trial the new UTR system Nedlands Tennis Club provides competitive play for all levels of ability. Nedlands Tennis Club hosted two events during the 2021/2022 season. A masters/ senior’s event and the junior/ AMT event in January. Club members made valiant efforts to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment for both players and spectators.
HENSMAN PARK TENNIS CLUB
The Preston Street IGA Hensman Park Junior Tennis Tournament was a Junior Series Zone 4. It was conducted from April 22 to April 25, 2022, with 250 players entered for this travelling from as far away as Albany to participated. This made it one of the largest entries for a WA Junior event in the previous 12 months. TP was used to manage the 508 matches over four days and 29 events – with events in 18s, 16s, 14s, and 12s and under, age groups. New event formats (Monrad and Round Robin draws) meant all players played more matches than was possible in previous years, fully utilising both grass and hard courts at Hensman Park.
VOLUNTEER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
DARRYL DOWNING
Darryl has been instrumental in developing Rangeview Tennis Club in all pillars of thriving tennis communities. He is a strategic thinker, always putting the needs of tennis and the Club first, even where difficult and challenging decisions have to be made. He capitalizes on all resources offered to him and engages across many stakeholders to leverage the position of the Club.
MATT BATES
In the two years as President of the Higgins Park Tennis Club, Mat has successfully maintained the incredibly high standard of efficient business-like level of operations and taken the operations of the Club to another level of efficiency. This has been achieved while he is still completing his law degree and working as the Clerk of WA Parliament and relocation to Darwin.
AIMEE LEESON
Aimee has been the President of the Central Districts Tennis Zone since 2017. She has led the zone with confidence and is an extremely well liked and efficient person. With volunteer numbers dwindling, Aimee has not only been the figurehead of the association but has been intricately involved in organising the D’Arcy Slater/Foundation Cups and Country Champs squads over the years. Aimee is also the junior coordinator at Meckering Tennis Club, running their annual junior tournament and organising the junior coaching series. Aimee is very personable and incredibly welcoming to new families at zone events and each year she leads our Zone Tennis Coaching Series.
SONIA ADDIS
Sonia understands the power tennis can have in bringing regional communities together and will give her all to provide this opportunity to as many community members as possible. Sonia has been pivotal in setting up Ladies’ Days, Junior Tournaments, Club merchandise and funding applications for Tenterden TC. She is a fantastic advocate for the sport and has created a fantastic community hub.
MOST OUTSTANDING SCHOOL
ROSALIE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Rosalie Primary School is fortunate in a unique location, situated next-door to Onslow Park Tennis Club. The positioning of the school and Club has amazing benefits to both groups and the local community, enabling students to access tennis courts on their doorstep, making it easy to promote the game. Tennis plays a large role in the sports program, being the most- played sport at the school. All year-level groups play throughout the school year, with a Sporting Schools programs for Kindy to year 2, lunchtime play for Years 3-6, in-school tennis playing including year 6 play on Friday afternoons and participation in year 3-and 4 red ball gala events and year 5 and 6 Academy Plate play.
MAIDA VALE PRIMARY SCHOOL
One of Maida Vale Primary School’s core school values, BELONG is promoted through the advocacy of local sport and physical activity providers within the local community. As such, the school has developed an enviable reputation of positive engagement with local clubs, which includes the fostering of transition pathways for its students to access local community sport. As of September 2022, MVPS is on par with the national average, with 74% of students now participating in organised community sport and recreation.
JOHN FORREST SECONDARY COLLEGE
Tennis Specialist is a Department of Education Approved Specialist Program endorsed by Tennis West. John Campbell, former State League Player and Coach of the Year, coordinates and teaches/coaches the program, which provides students with the opportunity to pursue their interest in tennis under the guidance of expert coaches and through a variety of competitions. Specialist Tennis Program students are expected to maintain a high level of achievement in tennis and all other learning areas.
DAWN HAY MEDAL
KEN MCINTOSH
Ken has been an official in WA for more than eight years and is a member of TA Officials. Ken personifies all the officiating WA Values and Tennis West values, committed to tennis, evident in his hard-working attitude and his commitment to running very efficient events. Ken is a court supervisor and has progressed to venue supervisor over the past 12 months, an example of his dedication to officiating. Ken is part of the TA’s referee’s development program as he is always ready to learn and expand knowledge to become a Referee.
JUDY HAWRYLAK
Judy has demonstrated Tennis West core values and TA Officiating Values of Dedication, Learning, support, Imagination, humility and excellence. Judy encourages all players to play with good sportsmanship and teaches the protocols which are required when playing tennis. Her encouragement to other officials and being a helping hand when required is exemplary. She shows ease in talking with tennis players and making sure all players are in a safe place, ready to go on court. Whenever there is a problem, she offers correct procedures to resolve the situation.
If you cant make it on the night please follow along on social media with presentations beginning by 7:30pm.
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