Adelaide, SA, 8 October 2024 | tennis australia
Promising young Australian tennis players Tori Russell, Cleo Taylor, Raphael Savelli and Novak Palombo have been crowned singles champions at the 2024 12/u and 14/u Australian Junior Hardcourt Championships at West Lakes, Adelaide.
In women’s singles action, top seed Tori Russell from Queensland defeated second seed and fellow Queenslander Ceressa Jackson 6-0 6-3 to win her second 14/u Women’s Singles Championship title. Russell has already clinched Sunday’s doubles decider with partner Karin Hiramatsu.
The boys’ singles final saw third seed Raphael Savelli (Vic) defeat seventh seed Lachlan Rye (Qld) after Rye was forced to retire after losing the first set.
Cleo Taylor (Qld) and Novak Palombo (Vic) justified their top seeding with back-to-back wins in the 12/u final.
Taylor beat second seed Ana Maric (Vic) 7-5 6-1, while Palombo beat Aleksandr Kharkov (NSW) 6-1 6-2 to win his second national title.
“The level of junior talent on display this year was outstanding,” said David Boyes, Tournament Director.
Boyes concluded: “Congratulations to all the players for their hard work and dedication throughout the tournament and thank you to West Lakes Tennis Club for being great hosts and providing a first-class venue for this prestigious event.” .
The final was a fitting conclusion to a tournament that brought 128 junior players from across Australia to Adelaide last week to play for a national title and gain valuable experience.
2024 12/u and 14/u Australian Hardcourt Championships Champions
12/u single
boy: [1] Novak Palombo (Vic) d Aleksandr Kharkov (NSW) 6-1 6-2
Girl: [1] Cleo Taylor (Qld) d Ana Maric (Vic) 7-5 6-1
14/u single
boy: [3] Raphael Savelli (Vic) d Lachlan Rye (Qld) 6-4 Ret
Girl: [1] Tori Russell (Qld) d Ceresa Jackson (Qld) 6-0 6-3
12/u doubles
Boys: Arrush Gaikwad (NSW) / Preston Shawcross (Qld) [3] d Zayn Cameron (Big) / Christopher Manton (Big) 6-4 6-1
Women: Ana Maric (Vic) / Lara Wu (SA) [3] d Ayumi Ito (NSW) / Esther Meng (Vic) [3] 6-3 6-1
14/u doubles
Boys: Se-Hoon Park (WA) / Jake Spurrell (Qld) [1] d Zachary Tsai (Qld) / Anthony Luo (Qld) 6-0 6-1
Women: Karin Hiramatsu (WA) / Tori Russell (Qld) d Elise Virr (Qld) / Isabella Welsh (Qld) 7-5 1-6[10-4]
