10 June 2021 | Tennis West

Young guns James Newton and Gayle Leong were victorious over the weekend, both laying claim to maiden AMT Singles titles in their respective Men’s and Women’s events at the 2021 WA Day Bronze AMT and Junior Silver JT event.

Played at the State Tennis Centre and Mount Lawley Tennis Club, more than 200 local and interstate players were in action across the tournaments 20 event program which included both boys’ and girls’ events in 12/u, 14/u and 16/u singles and doubles draws, in addition to the AMT Men’s and Women’s events.

Placed as the number three seed,  Newton, aged just 16, was flawless throughout the Men’s singles draw defeating number one seed Jerome Iaconi 6-7 (5), 6-2, 10-3 in the semifinal before claiming victory over the number two seed, Michael Faulkner, with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 win to claim his first semi-professional title. Following his impressive singles win, Newton then went on to contest the Men’s Doubles final with playing partner Mathew Burton. The pair overcame top seeds, Jerome Iaconi and Adityavikram Mann, in a tough three set 5-7, 6-3, 10-7 contest.

 

Fellow sixteen year old and number three seed, Leong, who didn’t drop a set throughout the four day tournament, fought back from a set down to eventually beat top seed, Skye Royall, in a tough 4-6, 6-1, 10-6 tie break decider. A finalist in the Women’s Doubles event with playing partner Alfee Stevens, the pair were overcome by top seeds Caitlin Hindmarsh and Lauren Nikoloski who were victorious with a 6-1, 6-0 win.

Tournament Director and Tennis West Manager of Competitions and Tournaments, Loretta Hughes says the four-day event was a great success and a great lead in to a host of upcoming tournaments set for the July school holidays.

‘The success of the weekends AMT Bronze and JT silver events proves a very healthy appetite for tennis tournaments in WA,’

‘With more than 200 local and interstate players hitting the courts of the State Tennis Centre and Mount Lawley Tennis Club, it was pleasing to see such a high standard of play right across the weekend,’

‘Both James and Gayle must be congratulated on their stellar performances. Claiming their first semi-professionals titles at just 16 is a wonderful achievement and something they can be very proud of,’

‘The tournaments pathway includes Junior Development, Junior Tournaments and Australian Money Tournament and supports the development of players who wish to continue along the competitive playing pathway,’

‘And there’s plenty more on offer in WA with the upcoming July swing of tournaments offering bronze, silver and gold junior JT events across the two week July school holidays,’

‘Registrations are open for all events and we look forward to seeing everyone out on court throughout July,’ Hughes said.

Boasting as the largest tennis competition in WA since the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020, the 2021 WA Day Bronze AMT & Junior Silver JT & 10s event attracted both local and interstate players who travelled from South Australia and Queensland.

2021 WA Day Bronze AMT & Junior Silver JT & 10’s results

Event	Winner	Runner up	Score
10/u Boys’ Singles	Princeton Cheung	Jasper Nutt	4-1, 4-3 (4)
10/u Girls’ Singles	Audrina Marchesi-Nemeth	Amelia Miloseski	4-2, 4-3
12/u Boys’ Singles	Sehun Park [1]	Noah Braun [10]	6-1, 6-2
12/u Girls’ Singles	Dayna Harrison [4]	Karin Hiramatsu [3]	6-4, 6-2
14/u Boys’ Singles	Nemanja Savic [2]	Rishi Makesar [1]	6-4, 2-6, -10-6
14/u Girls’ Singles	Alice Stevens [2]	Amy Findlay [4]	6-2, 6-1
16/u Boys’ Singles	Sebastian Mcdonald Bascur	Darian Tawhiti	2-1 *Round Robin
AMT Men’s Singles	James Newton [3]	Michael Faulkner [2]	6-2, 6-3
AMT Women’s Singles	Gayle Leong [3]	Skye Royall [1]	4-6, 6-1, 10-6
10/u Boys’ Doubles	Princeton Cheung [1]& Sunday Orioye	Joshua Kang & Luka Terrade	4-3 (2), 4-1
12/u Boys’ Doubles	Andres Arevalo [3] & Leo Terrade	Jake Carlson [1] & Sehun Park	7-6(3), 3-6,13-11
12/u Girls’ Doubles	Isabelle Criddle [2] & Naomi-Mariana Vakadranu	Karin Hiramatsu [1] & Kendal Macdonald	7-6(2),4-6,10-7
14/u Boys’ Doubles	Adam Miller & Daniel Miller	Scott Black [1] & Liam Mcdowell	6-4, 6-1
14/u Girls’ Doubles	Amy Findlay [1] & Sara Nikolic	Riana Tan [2] & Sunny Kyoungmin Youn	6-2, 6-2
AMT Men’s Doubles	Matthew Burton [2] & James Newton	Jerome Iaconi [1] & Adityavikram Mann	5-7, 6-,10-7
AMT Women’s Doubles	Caitlin Hindmarsh [1] & Lauren Nikoloski	Gayle Leong [2] & Alfee Stevens	6-1, 6-0

 

Upcoming Junior Tournament events

 

Event	Date	Location	Entry
2021 Silver Swift AMT & 18’s	3-6 July	Dalkeith TC	Enter here
2021 Spirit Of Tennis Junior & 10’S	3-6 July	State Tennis Centre	Enter here
2021 Mt Lawley Junior Silver	7-10 July	Mount Lawley TC	Enter here
2021 Hills Winter Junior Tournament	11-13 July	Kalamunda TC	Enter here
2021 Coastal Classic Gold JT & 10’s	14-18 July	State Tennis Centre	Enter here

For all information regarding upcoming WA tournaments, please follow here.

For a full list of all upcoming Australian Ranking Tournaments, please follow here.

Additional information:

Australian Ranking Points

Australian ranking points tournaments allow players to earn ranking points which contributes to a players rank compared to all players across Australia.

Australian Money Tournaments

Australian Money Tournaments (AMT) are semi-professional tournaments that offer both prize money and Australian Ranking points. They are designed to create quality match play opportunities and help with the transition for post junior athletes and act as a stepping stone towards the Australian Pro Tour.

Junior Tournaments

Junior Tournaments (JT) is an umbrella tour that provides a clear competitive pathway for aspiring tennis players.  The JT tournaments offer Australian Ranking points across 4 levels; Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.