24 October 2011

Ajeet Rai (Huatoki) is the 2011 NZ Junior Masters Champion for 12 Boys.  Rai won his final against Finn Reynolds (Havelock North) 2-6 6-3 6-0.  

Hamish Mead (Okaiawa) has also won a title; this time a doubles title, at the 2011 TOPSPIN Wellington Junior Open.  Mead and his partner Keiren Rooney won their quarter-final 6-0 6-0.  They then had a close semi-final match against the No.3 seeds Calvin Harrison/Patrick Mitchell 6-4 7-6(6).  Their opposition in the final was against the No.1 seeds, Aidan MacKenzie and Henry Neas.  MacKenzie/Neas hadn't dropped a set until the final, when Mead/Rooney won the first set 6-4.  Mead/Rooney then won the final when their opposition retired from the match.

Mead also won his two matches in the Wellington Junior Open consolation 14 Boys singles, thereby reaching the semi final.  It then appears that the organisers ran out of time and the remaining matches were not played.


23 October 2011

Ajeet Rai is through to the singles final of the NZ Junior Masters for 12 Boys.  Rai won his final pool match 6-1 6-2.  Rai then had to play the No.2 ranked player, Te Kani Williams (Cockle Bay, Auckland) in the semi final.  Rai won the first set 6-3 but lost the second set 6-3.  Down 5-3 in the third set, Rai rallied to take the set and the match 7-5. 
The final against Finn Reynolds (Havelock North) is scheduled for Monday at 9:15am.

Hamish Mead also plays Monday in the consolation of the 14 Boys singles at the Wellington Junior Open.  He enters the consolation in the 4th round.  Mead/Keiren Rooney have won their first round doubles match 6-2 6-1.


22 October 2011

Ajeet Rai  (Huatoki) has won both of his pool matches on Saturday.  Firstly beating Hutt Valley’s Trent Massam 6-0, 6-0; the second to fall was a determined and competitive Joshua Snowdon-Poole (Wellington) 6-4 7-6 (3).  Rai (1st seed) is scheduled to play his last pool game today at 10:30am against the 4th seed Taylor Nelson of Canterbury.

Meanwhile, at the Wellington Junior Open, Hamish Mead (Okaiawa) progressed to the third round with a win over Vikas Shenoy (Hutt Valley) 6-1 6-0.  Mead then lost to No.7 seed, Calvin Harrison (Wellington) in a see-saw match 6-3 1-6 6-4.

20 October 2011

Ajeet Rai  (Huatoki) has been invited to play in the NZ Masters Top 8 for 12 and under to be played in Blenheim this weekend.  This competition is only open to New Zealand’s top 7 players from each of the three age groups (12s, 14s and 16s).  These players are required to enter both The National Tournaments and other specified Tournaments throughout the year.  The points that you obtain from these tournaments are determined by your results.  Rai has accumulated more than enough points to be seeded as No. 1 for this tournament; his win/loss ratio being far superior to the other points chasers.  1 Wild card is awarded to make up the draw of 8.  The top 4 players are seeded with the competitors being divided into two round robins, providing the spectators with some great tennis.  The winner and runner-up of each round then go into a semi-final and final format.  Rai is confident of winning the tournament having won the same age group last year, having been awarded the wild card position.  Play starts Saturday 22nd.

Hamish Mead is No.9 seed in the 14 Boys singles at the Wellington Junior Open and has a bye in the first round.  Mead teams up with Manawatu's Keiren Rooney to be the No.2 seeds in the doubles.  They have a bye in the first round.