NSW’s Kody Pearson has finished runner-up in the 18/u Boys singles at the Australian Championships in Melbourne.
WA’s Scott Jones took the title with a 6-2 4-6 6-4 win in the final.
On a chilly, overcast morning at Melbourne Park 18-year-old Jones raced out to a 5-0 lead before Pearson found a foothold in the match, fighting back in the second, saving a set point in the sixth game as he began imposing his aggressive game now that his flat ground strokes had found their range.
Midway through the final set Pearson turned his ankle, prompting a 10-minute delay for treatment. The New South Wales native did his best to outgun his opponent in the closing stages, but with Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt watching from the wings Jones snatched the critical break before serving out to love, sealing victory in two and a half hours.
“He lifted his game – he started playing really aggressive, really good tennis,” Jones said of Pearson’s second-set fightback. “I started to get a little bit passive and he started to control the points a bit more, so I had to lift my court position forward and keep playing my game.”
For Pearson, who had targeted the semi-finals before the tournament, there is the consolation that his run to the final boosts his case for wildcards into Australian Pro Tour tournaments in 2017.
In the 12/u Australian Teams Championships, the NSW girls team finished runner-up in the Margaret Court Cup, going down to Japan in the final. The team consisted of Catherine Aulia, Sarah Munroe, Monica Jodie Petrusevski and Mia Repac.
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