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22 September 2025 | Adam Pengilly

Australian teenager Taylah Preston brought Katie Swan’s incredible winning run to an end with a major upset in the final of the Wagga Wagga Tennis International #2 on Sunday.
 
Ending a fantastic fortnight in which Tennis NSW ran ITF events in regional NSW centres for the first time, 19-year-old Preston prevented Swan from winning every match throughout the two-week Wagga Wagga swing in a gripping decider.

 
Despite entering the tournament as the second seed compared to Swan at No.4, Preston was a massive underdog having been soundly beaten in the final of the Wagga Wagga Tennis International #1 last week and because of Swan’s imperious form.
 
The Great Britain star hadn’t dropped a set in all nine matches in the NSW Riverina.
But Preston pounced early and then held on in an epic second set tiebreaker for a 6-4, 7-5(5) win at Jim Elphick Tennis Centre.
 
It was Preston’s first title in more than two years as she looks to return to the main draw of grand slams having played in both the Australian Open and US Open last year.
 
Swan, 26, lost absolutely no admirers as she steps up her comeback from a serious back injury which prompted her to tell her family and close friends she was going to retire late last year.
 
But an intensive two-week treatment with a United States doctor has her playing relatively pain free and with already three titles to her name this year.
 
While Swan couldn’t make it back-to-back titles in Wagga Wagga, men’s top seed Dane Sweeny was barely redoubled in winning consecutive ITF tournaments in Tamworth with a comprehensive victory over Matthew Dellavedova in the Capital of Country International #2 on Sunday.


Sweeny’s sixth title of the year came with one of the swiftest finishes as he needed just 78 minutes to sweep past second seed Dellavedova 6-2, 6-1.
 
It will help Sweeny further climb the rankings after a breakout year in which he has won all around the world: San Diego, Taipei and twice in both Brisbane and Tamworth.
 
Dellavedova survived an early break in the first set to level at 2-2, but thereafter it was all Sweeny as he raced away with 10 of the last 11 games for a resounding victory, hammering a forehand winner to seal a dominant fortnight in the New England region.
 
Sweeny didn’t have it all his own way though, needing to win three consecutive three-set tussles to win last week’s title and then surviving a torrid match with Marc Polmans in Saturday’s semi-final of the second Tamworth event.