Melbourne, Australia , 15 December 2023 | Dan Imhoff

Hannah Park admits she has never played a match anything like it, with so much on the line, as her 12-and-under Australian Junior Tour Masters girls’ singles final on Friday.

The second seed had the title on her racquet up a set and 5-1, only for her friend and fourth seed Musemma Cilek to force a deciding set.

It was a test of will, which the 12-year-old from Adelaide eventually passed 7-5 5-7 6-3 in just under two hours before she rounded out the day with the doubles crown alongside her beaten opponent.

“I did have a match point in the second set, but I don’t really focus on the last set (played),” Park said. “I just focus on ‘Okay it’s a new set, so just restart, like refresh’, and that’s all I focus on. It was a first for me, yeah.

“I mean, on the court me and Musemma are very competitive, so when we’re on the court we’re just opponents. We’re not friends on the court, but then off the court we’re just best friends.”

Park joined the likes of 2010 champion Priscilla Hon and 2011 winner Destanee Aiava on the 12/u girls’ singles honour roll.

“I’m just really happy that I won it, because I know that all the other professional players have played on this court before me,” she said.

“Mum’s here and my coach. I honestly think that if I didn’t have them with me it’d be a lot harder to win the match today because their support means so much to me.”

Park and Cilek later returned as top seeds to win their girls’ doubles semifinal and final, which handed Park a clean sweep of her events.

The pair prevailed 6-1 6-4 over second seeds Isabel Cairns and Eleni Makantasis for the doubles crown.

“We played doubles together in Waverley here and we actually won that tournament so, you know, we just started playing together, we were like the dream team,” Park said.

It was the third match they contested on Friday, having also beaten third seeds Ami Dalla Pozza and Mieka Gordon-Threatt 6-4 6-4 in the doubles semifinals.

ACT-Victorian duo Cairns and Makantasis earlier eked out a 7-6(7) 7-5 win over Queenslanders Ava Gardner and Hope Johns.

12/U AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR TOUR MASTERS

TODAY’S RESULTS
Girls’ singles, final
[2] Hannah Park (SA) d [4] Musemma Cilek (Vic) 7-5 5-7 6-3

Girls’ doubles, semifinals
[1] Musemma Cilek (Vic)/Hannah Park (SA) d [3] Ami Dalla Pozza (NSW)/Mieka Gordon-Threatt (Vic) 6-4 6-4
[2] Isabel Cairns (ACT)/Eleni Makantasis (Vic) d Ava Garner (Qld)/Hope Johns (Qld) 7-6(7) 7-5

Girls’ doubles, final
[1] Musemma Cilek (Vic)/Hannah Park (SA) d [2] Isabel Cairns (ACT)/Eleni Makantasis (Vic) 6-1 6-4

> VIEW: 12/u Australian Junior Tour Masters draws

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