Totally Tennis trio's November fireworks (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Totally Tennis trio's November fireworks

1:00pm Wednesday 7th December 2011 in Tennis

THREE young Totally Tennis performance players have enjoyed more success in events held in late November.

Liam Hignett won the Grade 5 Tournament Boys 12 and Under Singles title at the Esporta Hampshire Tennis and Health Club in Southampton. Hignett won all three of his matches in straight sets, defeating Tom Shipton 4-2, 4-0 in the quarter final, Milo Brookes 4-0, 4-2 in their semi-final encounter and then in the final, Ned Batstone 5-3, 4-1.

Hannah Smith won the girls’ nine and under singles title at the Grade 5 Surrey Junior Orange Tournament, held at the Woking Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

The event was played in a round robin format with Smith winning all her four matches convincingly in straight sets.

She defeated Emily Spiers 7-1, 7-1, Millie Kirby 7-5, 7-1. Evie Davey 7-1, 7-5 and Isabelle Sherlock 7-4, 7-2.

In the Grade Two Winter National Girls 10 and under tournament, Esther Adeshina finished in third place after narrowly losing in the semi-finals.

Held at the Hills Road Tennis Club in Cambridge, the tournament was held over two days.

Sixteen girls qualified for the national event played in a compass draw format.

Adeshina won her round one and quarter-final matches on the first day’s play, against Surrey’s Tanysha Dissanayake 4-2 4-0 and Suffolk’s Sofia Khalyaeva 4-0 4-0 respectively.

On day two Adeshina played her semi-final match against Sussex’s Sonay Kartal, whom she had met at the last semi-finals in October, where she defeated her.

As in their last encounter, the match was tightly contested by both girls with Adeshina taking the first set 4-1, only for Kartal to level up by taking the second set.

The match then had to go to a tiebreak, which, despite Adeshina’s best efforts, Kartal won 10-7.

Adeshina then had to play for third or fourth position against Essence Martins from Middlesex.

The first set was relatively easy, with Adeshina winning 4-0 but Martins stepped up her game in the second set which saw both girls putting on a display of brilliant tennis and determination resulting in a 4-4 scoreline in the second set which saw the pair play a tie break which Adeshina won 7-5 to take the third position overall.

Adeshina is currently in top spot on the Winter National Tour leaderboard for ten and under girls.