TOM HAYES
TENNIS
TRARALGON INTERNATIONAL By TOM HAYES THE 30th AGL Loy Yang Traralgon International commences on Friday (January 13), which will see individuals flock from all corners of the world to compete at the Traralgon Tennis Association courts. Singles qualifying begins today (Wednesday, January 11), with the main draw beginning in two days’ time (Friday, January 13). Forty-one nations from six continents will be represented throughout the six-day tournament, completing on Wednesday, January 18. The highest-ranked boy to compete is 17-year-old Iliyan Radulov from Bulgaria, who boasts a ranking of 14th in the world. Radulov has three junior singles titles, two coming last year in Serbia and Germany, both on a clay surface. Forty-one of the top-100 ranked boys in the world will be competing across the tournament, two of those are Australians – Hayden Jones (ranked 46th) and Charlie Camus (ranked 70th). Other highly-ranked competitors include Belgium’s Alexander Blockx, ranked 15th in the world, and Cooper Williams of the USA, ranked 18th in the world. The highest ranked girl is Japan’s Sara Saito – the highest-ranked player in the tournament, fifth in the girls world rankings. Saito claimed her fourth, fifth and sixth junior singles titles in 2022, in Italy, USA and Japan, two of those on a hard surface, like Traralgon’s. There are three Aussie girls in the main draw; 14-year-old Emerson Jones, sister of Hayden, (ranked 40th), Lily Taylor (ranked 64th) and Lily Fairclough (ranked 103rd). Emerson Jones amazingly already has two singles titles, both claimed last year in Sydney. Forty-three of the top-100 ranked girls will compete in Traralgon, Jones and Taylor two of those. Other highly-ranked girls talent includes; Great Britain’s Ella McDonald, ranked ninth in the world, and Slovakia’s Nikola Daubnerova, ranked 11th in the world, and there are a further five girls ranked between 12 and 19 competing among the rest. Several national number-one ranked players will be competing among the field. Romania, Austria, Korea, Italy, Estonia, Sweden, New Zealand and Norway all have a number-one ranked national player representing them in Traralgon, while New Zealand will show off its number-one ranked talents in both the boys and girls competition. Entry to the venue is free for spectators. Top-10 Ranked Boys: 1. Iliyan Radulov, Bulgaria (World Ranking: 14) 2. Alexander Blockx, Belgium (15) 3. Cooper Williams, USA (18) 4. Arthur Gea, France (21) 5. Mihia Alexandru Coman, Romania (29) 6. Rei Sakamoto, Japan (33) 7. Hayato Matsuoka, Japan (34) 8. Danil Panarin, Neutral (38) 9. Maxim Mrva, Czech Republic (43) 10. Joao Fonseca, Brazil (44) Top-10 Ranked Girls: 1. Sara Saito, Japan (World Ranking: 5) 2. Ella McDonald, Great Britain (9) 3. Nikola Daubnerova, Slovakia (11) 4. Sayaka Ishii, Japan (13) 5. Luciana Moyano, Argentina (14) 6. Nina Vargova, Slovakia (15) 7. Luca Udvardy, Hungary (16) 8. Alina Korneeva, Neutral (19) 9. Ena Koike, Japan (20) 10. Ella Seidel, Germany (21)
photograph corinne dubrueil/itf tennis
