The Cambridge Club attracted an excellent entry of 246 players from all around the country for their annual Summer Open tournament and basked in sunshine all week local players did themselves very proud.
Local players Aisha Brown and Yujiro Onuma won the 14 and under and 10 and under singles respectively. Jan Ortonowski, coached by Sue Rich also won the boys 14 and under event playing 12 year old Harry Wendelken also from Cambridge in the final.
The week started on the Sunday with 62 girls and boys at 9 and under level playing. Local player Joshua Robson- Brown had a great tournament and reached the semi finals. Sophie Tjurina from Wisbech reached the finals of the girls 9 and under event.
Monday and Tuesday saw the 14 and under and 18 and under events. Top seed Aisha Brown lived up to her seeding beating Martha Bullen from Middlesex in the final 6/3, 6/1. Aisha played with aggression all week and achieved her first grade 3 tournament win.
In the boys event third seed Harry Wendelken had a great tournament beating the top seed Kareem Shah in the semi-finals 6/2, 4/6, 6/4 before facing County colleague Jan Ortonowski from Peterborough in the final. Jan has more weight of shot but Harry took the first set 6/3 and was well poised in the second before Jan found his game and started to hit a heavier ball and came out a 3/6, 6/4, 6/3 winner.
The 18 events were dominated by top seed Michael Shaw from Bucks and second seed Ben Jones from Suffolk. Jones had the upper hand in the finals and served his way into an emphatic 6/1, 6/2 win. In the girls event Olivia Sofroniou, Essex beat top seed Maria Andrews from Norfolk 7/6, 6/3.
On Wednesday and Thursday it was the turn of the 16 and 12 and under players and local interest in the girls 12 and under came from the Sama and Chaaya Malik. Chaaya Malik reached the semi- finals before losing to top seed and eventual winner Monica Raviraj. Abigail Michelow from Essex who trains at Hills Road reached the final but again succumbed to Raviraj.
In the boys 12 and under event Haadi Shah beat James Murphy in the semi-finals – both had played or the Cambridge Club the previous weekend in the Aegon Team Tennis Finals but could not beat Zvonko Bencidic in the final.
The 16 and under events were again dominated by Michael Shaw and Ben Jones with Jones again winning but in a closer contest 6/4, 6/4.
The girls 16 and under final was again between Maria Andrews and Olivia Sofroniou and Oliva won again 6/2, 6/3.
Friday and Saturday saw the 10 and unders – all 47 of them play! Local Cambridge Club player Yujiro Onuma played a magnificent final against second seed Joseph Hendon of Norfolk and eventually won 5/3, 4/5 and 10 – 6 in the match tie break. Both players gave their all. The girls final was won by Catherine Hodge of Herts in again a really good match against Justice Hall of Suffolk winning 10-5 in the match tie break.
In the 8 and under mixed event Thomas Unwin of Cambridge lost a close final 6-10, 8-10.
Overall it was a magnificent week.