Winners crowned at 2023 Australian Blind and Low Vision Championships
Arato Katsuda-Green was among nine players to win titles at the 2023 Australian Blind and Low Vision Championships.
Melbourne, Australia, 18 July 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Players from five different states won titles at the annual Australian Blind and Low Vision Championships.
A record number of 34 participants took part in the three-day event, which was held at the National Tennis Centre in Melbourne over the weekend.
Arato Katsuda-Green, an 11-year-old from New South Wales, claimed three national titles. He won the junior singles and B4 open singles events, then teamed with Sean Russo to claim the B4 open doubles crown.
Courtney Webeck also scooped multiple titles. The 19-year-old from New South Wales won the B2 and B3 women’s singles divisions.
| Australian Blind and Low Vision Championships 2023 | ||
| Event | Champion | Runner-up |
| Junior singles | Arato Katsuda-Green (NSW) | Ethan Cook (SA) |
| B2 men’s singles | Mark Haskett (SA) | Ethan Cook (SA) |
| B2 women’s singles | Courtney Webeck (NSW) | Courtney Lewis (SA) |
| B3 men’s singles | Michael Leigh (NSW) | Steve Obeid (Vic) |
| B3 women’s singles | Courtney Webeck (NSW) | Courtney Lewis (SA) |
| B4 open singles | Arato Katsuda-Green (NSW) | Sean Russo (NSW) |
| B2 open doubles | Scott Dann (Qld)/Peter Robinson (Vic) | Alan Leahy (WA)/Bradley Brider (WA) |
| B3 open doubles | Steve Obeid (Vic)/Matt Cameron (WA) | Jasper Steeds (Vic)/Adam Fayad (Vic) |
| B4 open doubles | Arato Katsuda-Green (NSW)/Sean Russo (NSW) | Michael Leigh (NSW)/Grace Hobbs (NSW) |
> VIEW: Full results from the 2023 Australian Blind and Low Vision Championships
New South Wales was awarded the Maurice Gleeson Cup, a new perpetual trophy that honours the huge contribution Maurice Gleeson OAM has made to blind tennis over many years.
It is awarded to the most outstanding state at the championships, based on the average number of points earned by competitors across all singles divisions throughout the three-day event.
“Tennis NSW and Blind Sports & Recreation NSW/ACT will now take the cup back to Sydney to put on display until next year,” Tournament Director Ben Dew said.
“The aim is to help drive and develop the BLV tennis pathway in each state and territory in future years.”
Maurice Gleeson presents the inaugural Maurice Gleeson Cup to New South Wales competitors.
Championship competitors also participated in an open training session, delivered by Tennis Australia’s national BLV coaches, and attended an official player dinner during the three-day event.
There was also a classification and Australian rankings education session, as well as an international classification grading event.
Several of the competitors at the Australian Blind and Low Vision Championships now turn their attention to preparing for the 2023 International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) World Games in Birmingham next month.
An 11-member Australian team has been named to compete at the IBSA World Games, which are the largest high-level international event for athletes with a visual impairment.
> READ: Australian team announced for 2023 IBSA World Games
Book online, play today: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!
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