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SOUTH Bendigo played superbly to beat Premier League rival Epsom by three games in Friday night’s Bendigo Tennis Association clash.
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Aces from both clubs warmed up for the finals in the Quest Bendigo Central-backed pennant by playing many hard-fought rallies at Bendigo Lawn Tennis Club in Barnard Street.
A top contest ended on three rubbers apiece, but South led the sets-games tally, 8-63 to 7-60. Highs for South were straight-sets wins by Jordan Hicks and Grant Leader against Jono Guy and Ben Bailey respectively.
Two matches were decided in a super tie-breaker.
Epsom’s Heather Robbins defeated Peter Somerville, 6-7 6-3 10-7; and Robbins teamed with Bailey for a 4-6 6-1 10-8 win against Grant Leader and Somerville.
Bendigo Lawn Rising endured a 10-68 to 3-37 loss to Strathfieldsaye.
The sole rubber won by Rising was when Jacob Grieves and Jeremy Abel joined forces to beat Easton and Michael Smyth, 6-4 7-6.
Among the highs for Strath was the play of Tova Penno to hit back from a 6-3 loss in the first set to beat Brad Mulgrew, 6-0 10-6.
Terry Smith beat Grieves, 6-1 7-6, and teamed with Penno for a straight-sets win against Rachelle Blencowe and Mulgrew.
Bendigo Lawn Quest was still a chance to reach the finals when its clash with Spring Gully Butterflies began, but a few hours later the season was over as Gully won 12-72 to 0-31.
Matt Hartland and Jamie Brown beat Ryan Brook and Brad Reeves, 6-3 7-5; and Craig Nolan and Bronwyn Osborne defeated Simon Kelly and Marcus McDougall, 6-0 6-2.
Hartland turned up the heat after a 7-5 win in the first set against Brook to concede just one game in the second.
Brown beat Reeves, 6-2 6-2, as Nolan and Danielle Bowles achieved straight-sets wins against Kelly and McDougall.
The semi-finals will be played this Friday, with Spring Gully Butterflies playing Epsom and South Bendigo tackling Strathfieldsaye.