Penzance Open is huge success

WITH more than 200 entries from around the country, and even from abroad, the Penzance Open Tennis tournament was one of the most prestigious sports events in the county.

Tournament referee Sue Eames from Liskeard who has been in charge of running the junior competitions at Penlee Park for the last decade did yet again a fantastic job to get all matches played despite the often rather fickle weather conditions.

When the hard courts at Penzance Tennis Club were unplayable due to rain players were taken to the sports dome at Mounts Bay School in Heamoor and many of the consolation matches were played on the tennis courts at GEMS Bolitho School.

Standard

With a large contingent from Ivybridge Tennis Centre participating and many individuals travelling a very long way to compete in Penzance a high standard of competition was guaranteed.

From the youngest participants (8+Under) who competed in special mini tennis events right through to the 18 + Under age group a lot of great talent was on display.

The quality of the tennis was particularly high this year and six young players from Penzance Tennis Club reached the finals of the main draw.

It was at the very first level of the sport that the Penzance players shone. Holly Drew won the 8+Under girls singles and Aimee Polyblank the 9+Under girls singles, edging out Ellyn Calveley, also from Penzance, 7-5, 7-3.

Janner Bindiren was the runner-up in the 9+Under boys singles whilst Arielle Fitken reached the finals of both the 12+Under girls singles and the 14+Under Mixed Doubles where she lost to players from further afield.

In the oldest age group Penzance's Imogen Harry and her Cornish playing partner Ben Ward made it through to the finals of the 18+Under Mixed Doubles where they lost narrowly to the number one seeds Mia Loye and Seb Dartnell from Devon.

Tournament organiser and Penzance Tennis Manager Martin Coates said: "The Junior Open is an exciting way to encourage junior competition among players of all abilities.

"There can be no greater incentive than to emulate players such as Andy Murray who is a fine ambassador for British tennis.

"We were delighted to see such a wide competitive base of young tennis players taking part in this tournament."

He his team can look back on a most successful Junior Open tournament 2011 and a big thank you goes to everyone who sponsored and helped to run this busy event.

Full results:

8+U Girls Singles: Holly Drew (Pz) bt Rose Pringle (Cwl) 10-5.

8+U Boys Singles: Louis Davey (Cwl) bt Alex Pillinger (Warwicks) 10-2.

9+U Girls Singles: Aimee Polyblank (Pz) bt Ellyn Calveley (Pz) 7-5, 7-3.

9+U Boys Singles: Daniel Hocking (Cwl) bt Janner Bindiren (Pz) 7-2, 7-2.

10+U Girls Singles: Esperanza Merry (Dev) bt Agatha Evans (Cwl) 4-0, 4-1.

10+U Boys Singles: Daniel Bogdan (Somerset) bt Oscar Pringle (Cwl) 5-3,4-0.

12+U Girls Singles: Lauren King-Sparke (Bucks) bt Arielle Fitkin (Pz) 6-3,6-4.

12+U Boys Singles: Julian Robinson (Senegal) bt Oshi Leverton (Cwl) 6-3, 6-3.

14+U Girls Singles: Isabella Brown (Dev) bt Frances Benson (Notts) 1-6, 6-0, 10-6.

14+U Boys Singles: Miren Shah (Middlesex) bt Piers Holt (Surrey) 7-6, 6-3.

16+U Girls Singles: Ella Riddle (Yorks) bt India Rojano (Cwl) 6-4, 5-7, 10-5.

16+U Boys Singles: Joel Jones (Cwl) bt Oliver Tyrrell (Dev) 6-2, 6-1.

18+U Girls Singles: Ella Riddle (Yorks) bt Mia Loye (Dev) 6-1, 6-4.

18+U Boys Singles: Benjamin Tyrrell (Dev) bt Seb Dartnell (Dev) 6-1, 6-0.

14+U Girls Doubles: Bethany Matthews & Abigail Skelly (both Dev) bt Kate Absalom & Chloe Sluce (both Dev) 6-4, 6-3.

14+U Boys Doubles: Kieran Roskell Thomas & Joel While (Cwl/Dev) bt Tom Fenton & Harry Lakeman (both Dev) 7-5, 6-4.

14+U Mixed Doubles: Tom Fenton & Polly Bushby (both Dev) bt Matyas Metyko & Arielle Fitkin (Dev/Pz) 6-4, 7-5.

18+U Girls Doubles: Mia Loye & India Rojano (Dev/Cwl) bt Alice Brockman-More & Georgina Pool (both Wilts) 6-3, 7-6.

18+U Boys Doubles: Peter Underhill & Lewie Parker (both Dev) bt Patrick Wilson & Rhys Dunford (both Dev) 6-4, 6-4.

18+U Mixed Doubles: Seb Dartnell & Mia Loye (both Dev) bt Ben Ward & Imogen Harry (Cwl/Pz) 7-6, 7-6.

Special Awards: Oshi Leverton (Cwl), India Rojano (Cwl), Conor Polyblank (Pz) and Joel May (Pz).

Penzance's rising tennis star Amy Johns travelled to Wimbledon to play in the finals of the Road to Wimbledon national junior competition where she won the consolation girls singles event.