Naas Lawn Tennis Club host two major Junior tennis tournaments
The Naas Junior Open attracted its usual large gathering of players of all ages from 8 to 18 for a series of competitions in doubles and singles, graded according to age and ability
In the first week of July, Naas LTC was delighted to host two important junior tournaments with competitors not only from all over Ireland, but also from several countries across the world.
The Naas Junior Open attracted its usual large gathering of players of all ages from 8 to 18 for a series of competitions in doubles and singles, graded according to age and ability.
Friday was an extra special day for the youngest players some of whom were playing in their first tournament.
A huge backroom staff of volunteers from catering to court supervision helped to ensure that everything flowed seamlessly, and the local management team of Amy Flynn and Karl Lennon did really well to keep matches running to a very full schedule despite weather interruptions.
Throughout the week, onlookers were treated to a string of really competitive games, and Naas had had more than its share of success across many categories as things reached their climax on the final Saturday.
In the end, the club contested three finals, with Fabian Costiuc coming out victorious in straight sets in the boys Under 12 singles against Deer Park’s Malachy Treacy.
Similarly, Conor D’Arcy and Hugo Thompson defeated their Bushy Park/ Rathgar opposition to win the Under 12 doubles.
Meanwhile, Lila Daramola had a great run in the Under 12 singles for girls, but just came out short in the final against her very strong Castleknock opponent.
Running simultaneously with the Junior Open was the highly prestigious ITF (International Tennis Federation) Junior J60 tournament This event featured players from places as far apart as Bahamas, USA, Great Britain, Denmark and many more.
This tournament pits the best U18 players in the world against one other for world ranking points, and the quality of tennis was fantastic throughout.
The boys and girls singles finals featured British vs Irish match ups. Patrick Marsh who had made the previous week’s final competed again for another title, but came up just short losing 7-5 in the third set.
However, Rachel Deegan was able to claim the title with a convincing 6-2 6-0 victory.
The girls doubles finals featured Ireland’s very own Rachel Reid and her British partner Chloe Cleaver who were unlucky to lose a a tight three setter.
The event was run by Naas LTC coach, Mark Finnegan who perfectly summed up the success of the week.
“This was our third year hosting the ITF J60 in Naas. We are hoping to have it back again next year. There was a great buzz all week around the club and it complements the Naas junior Open really well. It’s great for the open players to see the international standard of tennis. It’s also great for Naas to have so many international players visiting.