{"id":39028,"date":"2024-09-20T10:10:57","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T00:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/?p=39028"},"modified":"2024-09-20T10:16:17","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T00:16:17","slug":"victorian-player-awards-2024-junior-athlete-of-the-year-male-and-female-finalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/news\/2024\/09\/20\/victorian-player-awards-2024-junior-athlete-of-the-year-male-and-female-finalists","title":{"rendered":"Victorian Player Awards 2024: Junior Athlete of the Year \u2013 Male and Female – Finalists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Congratulations to the eight outstanding junior athletes who have been named a finalist for the 2024 3Junior Athlete of the Year Award. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Junior Athlete of the Year award recognises outstanding junior athletes who have represented Victoria or Australia and\/or <\/span>participated<\/span> on a Tennis Australia interstate or international Tour and\/or in any Australian Championships. They have displayed <\/span>an appropriate<\/span> and commendable attitude on and off the court. They have a commendable ATP, ITF or AR ranking, and have <\/span>complied with<\/span> all rules and conducts set by Tennis Australia.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Meet the Finalists\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Female Award<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ava Beck<\/h3>\n

16 year old Ava claimed singles wins in J30 events in Lautoka and Adelaide, as well as wins at J100 events in Canberra and Mornington. Semi Finals at events in Adelaide, Christchurch and Brisbane have seen her ranking on the rise, reaching 192 in the nomination period and boasting a 70% win rate in singles. Ava represented Australia in the 2024 Junior Billie Jean King Cup competition.<\/p>\n

Koharu Nishikawa<\/h3>\n

A win at the J100 The Hague, and an Australian Open Junior 1st Round are highlights of 15 year old Koharu’s year. She also was selected in the Junior Billie Jean King Cup team. Semi Finals in the J100s in Christchurch, Canberra and Bruchkoebel are evidence of her consistent year on court, reaching a career high ITF ranking of 253 within the nomination period.<\/p>\n

Ana Maric<\/h3>\n

Ana claimed the 12u singles Australian Claycourt Championships in April 2024 and also took out the doubles with Lara Wu. She also won the 2024 JT Premier 250 Waverley Tennis Event singles and was a se I finalist in doubles. She finished the nomination period on top of the Australian Junior Tour Masters Leader Board for Girls 12u.<\/p>\n

Gabrielle Villegas<\/h3>\n

Reaching an ITF singles ranking of 250 in the nomination period, Gabrielle competed in Round 1 of the Australian Open Juniors in both singles and doubles. Doubles has been a strength for the 17 year old with a title at the J100 Brisbane and making the final is the J60 Gold Coast. Gabrielle’s top singles performances include making the quarter finals of the Oceania Regional Championships in August 2023 and was a Quarterfinalist of the J100 Brisbane.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Male Award<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yassin Hill<\/h3>\n

Yassin was a member of the Australian World Team Cup in Turkey, where the team finished second. He reached No. 5 \u00a0in the Wheelchair Tennis ITF Junior rankings during the nomination period. Yassin competed in the 2024 French Open and qualified for the US Open. He has claimed titles at the NSW Wheelchair Open (junior), Melbourne Wheelchair Open (junior) and Melbourne Wheelchair Classic.<\/p>\n

Ymerali Ibraimi<\/h3>\n

Ymerali was a member of the U15 Boys Australian Teams Championships winning team on the Gold Coast. He also won a J30 Perth and made semi finals. Semi Finals at the J60 Gold Coast show the consistent performances being shown on court. In the nomination period, Ymerali has reached an ITF singles high of 741.<\/p>\n

Novak Palombo<\/h3>\n

11-year-old Novak won the 12\/u Boys Australian Grasscourt Championships (without dropping a set), the 12\/u Rafael Nadal Tour Masters, the All in Open in France and the Austrian Youth Open in Kufstein. He was also a finalist of the Daimon Cup Bucharest and the Kaka Open and a semi finalist of Jura Europe Junior Tour. Now 12 years old, Novak is 3rd on the Australian Rankings for his age group.<\/p>\n

Jin Woodman<\/h3>\n

Wheelchair tennis player Jin Woodman has improved his Junior Singles ITF Ranking from outside the Top 10 to No. 3 and boasts a ITF Singles ranking of 156 and Quad Singles ranking of 21. He represented Australia in the World Team Cup in Turkey, where they finished in second place. He won the \u00a0Megasaray Cup (Quad), Brisbane Wheelchair Classic (Juniors) and Queensland Wheelchair Open (Junior Grade A) and was a finalist at the Melbourne Wheelchair Classic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Previous Winners\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Male<\/td>\nFemale<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2022\/23 \u2013 Daniel Jovanovski
\n<\/strong>2021\/22 \u2013 Saalim Naser
\n<\/strong>2020\/21 \u2013 Cooper White
\n2018\/19 \u2013 Cooper White
\n2017\/18 \u2013 Cooper White
\n2016\/17 \u2013 Matthew Dellavedova
\n2015\/16 \u2013 Ken Cavrak
\n2014\/15 \u2013 Omar Jasika
\n2013\/14 \u2013 Marc Polmans
\n2012\/13 \u2013 Marc Polmans
\n2011\/12 \u2013 Daniel Guccione
\n2010 Andrew Whittington
\n2009 Thomas Price
\n2008 Stephen Hoh
\n2007 Sebastian Bell
\n2006 James Lemke
\n2005 Stephen Donald
\n2004 Patrick Nicholls
\n2003 Andrew Coelho
\n2002 Ryan Thomas
\n2001 Robert McKenzie
\n2000 Chris Guccione
\n1999 Michael Staniak
\n1998 Alex Bucewicz
\n1997 Rameez Junaid
\n1996 Klaudiusz Gursztyn
\n1995 Michael Logarzo
\n1994 Andrew Ilie
\n1993 Mark Philippoussis
\n1992 Leigh Holland
\n1991 Mark Philippoussis
\n1990 Taso Vasiliadis
\n1989 Brad Sceney
\n1988 Bill Madafferi
\n1987 Andrew Florent<\/td>\n		2022\/23 \u2013 Roisin Gilheany
\n<\/strong>2021\/22 \u2013 Roisin Gilheany
\n<\/strong>2020\/21 \u2013 Roisin Gilheany
\n2018\/19 \u2013 Amy Stevens
\n2017\/18 \u2013 Destanee Aiava
\n2016\/17 \u2013 Destanee Aiava & Jaimee Fourlis
\n2015\/16 \u2013 Jaimee Fourlis
\n2014\/15 \u2013 Destanee Aiava
\n2013\/14 \u2013 Destanee Aiava
\n2012\/13 \u2013 Destanee Aiava
\n2011\/12 \u2013 Zoe Hives
\n2010 Sandy Vo
\n2009 Olivia Rogowska
\n2008 Sally Peers
\n2007 Stephanie Wiltshire
\n2006 Alenka Hubacek
\n2005 Stephanie MacFarlane
\n2004 Mary Ann Liu
\n2003 Ewa Losinksi
\n2002 Melissa Koning
\n2001 Claudia Szabo
\n2000 Kim Coventry
\n1999 Emma Gott
\n1998 Athina Pirpiris
\n1997 Susan Cowan
\n1996 Christina Wheeler
\n1995 Cindy Watson
\n1994 Karen Butler
\n1993 Vanessa Kendall
\n1992 Tamlyn Bottrell
\n1991 Joanne Limmer
\n1990 Joanne Limmer
\n1989 Maria Purcell
\n1988 Lily Nejasmic
\n1987 Elana Clark<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Congratulations to the outstanding junior athletes who have been named a finalist for the Junior Athlete of the Year Award for 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6423,"featured_media":39192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,1,56],"tags":[82],"class_list":["post-39028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-news","category-reward-recognition","tag-victorian-tennis-awards"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6423"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39028\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/vic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}