Bendigo tennis ace Eliza Long achieved a winning double in the open events at yesterday’s finish to the Bendigo Junior Open and Association Championships.
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Last summer’s national under-16 girls’ singles champion, Long scored a 6-4 7-6 victory against Kate Antosik in the AMT clash on the hardcourts at the Bendigo Bank tennis complex in Nolan Street.
It was a rematch of last year’s finalists, but this time Long triumphed against her Kooyong TC opponent.
A great weekend for Long, a year 11 student at Catholic College Bendigo was capped by teaming with Tayla Stenta to win the women’s doubles title, 3-6 7-6 (5) 10-7, against Antosik and Taylor Capannolo.
In the AMT men’s singles, the giantkilling run by Bendigo’s Curt Garwood was ended in the final.
Garwood had beaten the second, sixth and fourth seeds on the way to a finals showdown with Maffra’s Mitchell Allman.
Garwood won the first set, 6-4, but Allman struck back to win the next two, 6-4 6-3.
In the doubles, the all-Bendigo team of Garwood and Blake Poyser was beaten 6-4 6-2 in the first round.
The all-Bendigo clash between Johnston and Storer in the consolation singles final ended in a 6-4 6-4 win for Johnston.
Other Bendigo players to excel included Ryan Leader, Easton Smyth, Chloe Stokes, Jayden Blencowe, Tahnee Thomas and Zach Lethlean.
Tournament director Leon Retallick said the five-day event was a resounding success.
“We had more than 250 entries from many parts of Victoria.
“Friday’s rain meant a lot of matches were played on AFL grand final day, but it showed just how dedicated these players were to play,” he said of the WM Loud-backed event.