TENNIS
By TOM HAYES
MORE than 150 high school students from around Australia converged on the Traralgon Tennis Association for the Gallipoli Youth Cup.
Also known as Australia’s National High School Championships, the Gallipoli Youth Cup provides an opportunity for students to play tennis at a national level.
Competing in teams from their respective schools, students are granted qualification to apply to compete if schools win their state championship.
Coming to Traralgon was 14 schools across five states, comprising 20 teams for the tournament (10 boys teams, 10 girls teams).
With the tournament beginning on Sunday, November 24, playing in the team format, students hit the courts.
The teams were both split into two pools, with the top teams progressing to the finals.
Following the event, Gallipoli Youth Cup Tournament Director and Tennis Australia Competitive Play Co-ordinator, Sean Spralja said the players enjoyed their time playing in Traralgon.
“The Gallipoli Youth Cup, it obviously used to be a junior ITF event, and it’s now encompassing our national high school championships,” he said.
“It’s really upholding the values of Gallipoli education and mateship, and making sure we pass on those values and lessons down to the next generation.
“Historically the event has always been at the Albury Tennis Association, but given it’s a national event, we’ve tried to spread the load over the last couple of years.
“Traralgon’s obviously hosted junior ITFs, AO (Australian Open) qualifying, and pro ITF tournaments as well, so it’s an ideal setting for a tournament like this.”
FOR the boys, Pool A finished with The McDonald College (NSW) on top and Marryatville High School (SA) in second, while for Pool B, Brisbane Boys College (QLD) finished first, ahead of Palm Beach Currumbin State High (QLD).
Meeting in the final was The McDonald College and Brisbane Boys College – the reigning champions.
Heavy rain in the early part of the week threatened to push the schedule back, which could be afforded. The boys finals were pushed into the later hours of Tuesday, November 26.
Brisbane Boys College was crowned champions midway through the fifth match after reaching an unassailable lead.
Rohan Hazratwala won the first game in straight sets 6-2, 6-4, before Anirudh Nallaparaju put Brisbane Boys College up five sets to one, winning 6-4, 1-6, 10-7, allowing The McDonald College its first set.
It would be its only set too, after Heaton Pann won 6-2, 6-3, and William Genberg won 6-1, 6-4, stretching the lead out to eight sets to one, needing just one more for victory.
It was confirmed by the first set of the fifth match, when the doubles duo for Hazratwala and Pann took out the first set 6-0, as Brisbane Boys College completed back-to-back championship wins.
FOR the girls, Pool A was led by the undefeated Maribyrnong College (Vic), followed by Marryatville High School, while in Pool B, Meriden School (NSW) was also undefeated, leading second-placed St Catherine’s School Sydney (NSW).
The two schools that eventually met in the final was Maribyrnong College and Meriden School. The girls finals concluded on the final day of the events, with games still going ahead as the boys’ presentation was underway.
Meriden School won a much-closer battle between schools, starting off with a tight encounter.
Jizelle Sibai took out the first match in a three-set thriller, winning 6-3, 6-7, 12-10. Her win was followed by Giselle Guillen, who won again for Meriden, claiming a 6-3, 5-4 win due to the forfeit of her opponent.
Things swung back in the favour of Maribyrnong College, after Charlotte Vanstone-McGrath defeated Meriden’s Mirandu Xu in three sets, 6-1, 6-7, 10-8, bringing the margin back, as Meriden led five sets to three.
Match 4 provided a third and final three-set final in the girls, with Maribyrnong’s Arabelle Mancici taking on Meriden’s Gabriela Garipova. Mancici won the first set easily 6-2, before Garipova won the second 7-6 to send it to a third set. Coming down to another tiebreak, Garipova prevailed 10-7, to extend Meriden’s lead out to three sets.
The Meriden duo of Sibai and Guillen put the final to bed, just about, winning their doubles encounter 6-2, 6-2, giving them nine sets.
The final doubles game was incomplete, with Meriden doing enough to claim the win nine sets to five.
EACH of the boys and girls top three finishing teams received their respective bronze, silver, or gold medal, with the winners collecting trophies too.
Marryatville High School claimed third for the girls, while Maribyrnong College secured second, behind champions, Meriden School.
Palm Beach Currumbin State High finished third for the boys, with The McDonald College coming second, behind back-to-back champions, Brisbane Boys College.
Receiving sportsmanship awards were Endeavour Sports High (girls), and Applecross Senior High School (boys).
“They (Traralgon Tennis Association) have done a fantastic job. The staff and the volunteers here have done an amazing job in terms of putting on the event, from the canteen staff to Graham (Woofa) Charlton – who has been our ‘stringer’ for the week, and the manager Susie Grumley, they’ve been terrific,” Spralja said.
“They’ll certainly be in consideration again to once again host this event in 2025.”
