10U Kent Boys finished 1st at County Cup Qualifying
Date: 27th and 28th May
Chichester Racquets & Fitness Club
Kent Team:
Ben Gusic-Wan Captain: Davor Baretic
Pranav Devaguptapu Vice-Captain: Tom Sampson
Luca Tunon
Ben Walker
Michael Nkereuwem
Day One
First match: Kent vs Gloucestershire 3-1
Luca Tunon kicked off the proceedings as number 3 player against Gloucestershire. Luca started well playing his attacking tennis and won the first set. Unfortunately he then started making errors and his opponent took advantage and came back to win in 3 sets. Pranav Devaguptatu played as number 2 and played a very solid match to win 4-1 4-2 to even the tie. Ben Gusic-Wan played as number 1 and played his consistent tennis to win convincingly 4-0 4-1 to give Kent a 2-1 lead. Ben and Pranav played a strong doubles match and won 4-2 4-2 to give us an overall win 3-1.
Second match: Kent vs Sussex 4-0
Being more relaxed after the first match Luca played more consistent tennis to win 4-2 4-2. Pranav followed up with his attacking tennis and brilliant forehands to give us a 2-0 lead. In a match of the tournament Ben came back from a set down and 9-7 down in a match tie-break to win 11-9 against a very good player Sergio Vieira. Ben showed very good maturity and match toughness and I was very proud of his effort. We wanted to finish strong as we knew that next day’s matches could be tough and may go down to a rubbers count. Ben and Pranav played doubles again and won 4-0 4-2 playing amazing doubles, using different formations practiced in training. We won 4-0.
Day 2
First match - Kent vs Channel Islands 4-0
Being very confident after the first day’s play, both Ben and Pranav played very well in their singles and won convincingly. Tom Sampson (our vice-captain) and I decided to give Ben Walker a chance to play as number 3 and he played very well to give us a 3-0 lead. Then our number 5 player Michael Nkereuwem teamed up with Luca to decide the tie with a 4-0 4-0 victory. We won 4-0.
Second match Kent vs Surrey 3-1
Our last match was against Surrey and knowing the history of these two counties it was going to be a tough match. Luca started off first and played his best match of the tournament but unfortunately lost a match to a tough opponent 4-2 4-2. Pranav then played and was a set point down in the first set and came back to win 5-3 4-0 to even the tie and 1-1. Pranav focussed very well throughout the match knowing the importance of the match. Ben played a great match with some outstanding, world class points to beat Samy Khediri and give us the lead 2-1. Ben and Pranav then secured the tie with a 4-1 4-1 doubles win and an overall win 3-1.
This meant that 10U Boys Kent team qualified for the finals for the first time since I have been involved over 5 years. Both Tom and I were very proud of the boys and were looking forward to the finals.
Finals
10U Kent Boys finished 1st at County Cup Finals in Sunderland
Day One
First match Kent vs Avon 3-1
The order of the matches in the finals was different to the qualifying, with Ben Gusic-Wan, our number 1 player going on first. He started very well winning 4-1 4-0. Pranav followed up with a superb performance to win 4-0 4-0. Luca gave us the winning point by playing a balanced match with great attacking shots yet consistent tennis in the important stage of the match to win 4-2 4-1. Michael and Ben Walker unfortunately lost their doubles match 10-8 in the match tie-break. They tried so hard but it was not their day. We were still very happy with the start.
Day Two
First match Kent vs Northamptonshire 4-0
All three boys played outstanding singles matches winning comfortably to give us a 3-0 lead. Michael and Ben were very keen to avenge their doubles loss from day before and followed up with a quality win 4-1 4-2. It was very pleasing to see them relax more and use tactics practiced in training.
Second match Kent vs Middlesex 3-1
We had a very good momentum going into a match against Middlesex knowing a win would secure a spot in the Grand Final. Ben played brilliant to give us first point without losing a game. Pranav followed up with a hard fought match to come up with a victory 5-3 4-1. First set showcased great tennis by both players and Pranav proved too strong in crucial points. In our third singles match Luca lost 10-8 in a match tie-break. Both players had opportunities to close out the match and it was not to be for Luca this time. In the decisive doubles match, Ben and Pranav played their best doubles match of the whole competition to win 4-0 4-0 and send us to the final. It was a great team performance with boys playing brilliant attacking doubles using Australian formation at certain times and intercepting at net on many occasions.
Day Three - Final Kent vs Hertfordshire 4-0
We were all a bit anxious going into the final with rumours going around that this will be a very close match against Hertfordshire. Tom and I spoke to the boys trying to relax them and remind them of playing the same tennis that got us to the final. Boys stepped up amazingly with Ben and Pranav winning 4-1 4-0 against Theo Mcilvenna and Alex McKenzie respectively. These opponents are highly ranked National players and to win with this score was outstanding. After seeing Ben and Pranav play, Luca started his match with great intensity to win the first set 4-0. His opponent lifted his game to take a lead 3-1 in the second but Luca stayed strong to win a set 5-3. We were NATIONAL CHAMPIONS. Ben and Pranav finished the doubles in style which meant that both players were undefeated in qualifying and finals which is a terrific achievement.
I would like to say a big thank you to all the parents, Vice-captain Tom Samson and most importantly the players. It was my pleasure to work with such a good quality group of players. I was very pleased to see them train hard and improve during practice sessions and apply these skills during a competition. All the players have a great future in front of them and I wish them all the best.
Captain: Davor Baretic