After 11 weeks of competition, we are down to two teams in each of the men’s and women’s competition ready to battle it out for the State League title.
In a rare treat for State League fans, both the men’s and women’s State League final will be held concurrently on the grass courts of Cottesloe Tennis Club from 12.30 pm this Saturday.
WOMEN’S FINAL
Cottesloe v Royal Kings Park
Saturday 21 March, 12.30 pm, Courts 11 & 12 at Cottesloe Tennis Club
|
SEASON RECORD |
Ladder |
W-D-L |
Rubbers W-L |
Last time won |
|
Cottesloe |
1st |
7-0-1 |
34-13 |
2016-17 |
|
Royal Kings Park |
2nd |
5-1-2 |
25-21 |
2018-19 |
After making the grand final last season, Cottesloe will be looking to go one better, buoyed by a home ground advantage after a strong and consistent season. The Cottesloe side has been clinical this season, only dropping one match which happened to be against Royal Kings Park. But with a big crowd expected, will it be an advantage to Cottesloe?
Royal Kings Park will go into the clash with confidence having knocked off Cottesloe on their home ground in round 10 in a tight battle that came down to sets. The visitors are also on a five-match winning streak, having not lost a match since round five in November.
The match could go either way with three of the four singles rubbers in round 10 going to three sets. The only change may be the inclusion of captain Alicia Molik to the side. Molik has played four matches this season and has a 100% win rate in singles matches.
Joining Molik in the expected side is youngster Elena Manoj. Manoj is yet to lose a match this season and will be hard to stop. Both times this season, Manoj has played Jasmin Heapes and won both encounters. Jess Culley and Nisha Whittome will also play a part in the chase for a title with one of the two to take the last singles position.
The big battle could potentially be Lexie Weir (Cottesloe) and Royal Kings Park captain Mahta Khanloo. Both have been playing in the number one position and Khanloo has got the better of Weir in their round 10 clash. Khanloo has the best win-loss record in the team, having won five of her six singles matches this season.
Flying under the radar for Royal Kings Park will be rising stars Claudia Shearwood and Sumner Royall who have both won their fair share of singles matches this season. Where they play will be a key to the matchup.
If the matches go to doubles, expect Cottesloe to have the slight advantage. The home side has a stronger record in doubles ties this season, with an 11-4 win-loss record while Royal Kings Park has a 8-6 win-loss record.
MEN’S FINAL
Cottesloe v Claremont
Saturday 21 March, 12.30 pm, Courts 6 & 7 at Cottesloe Tennis Club
|
SEASON RECORD |
Ladder |
W-D-L |
Rubbers W-L |
Last time won |
|
Cottesloe |
1st |
6-3-1 |
30-15 |
2023-24 |
|
Claremont |
3rd |
5-1-4 |
32-22 |
1974-75 |
This contest is set to be a cracker and almost a rematch of last season when Peppermint Grove upset Cottesloe at home. From last year’s Peppermint Grove side, Tim Gray, Jayden Court and Ethan Cook all look likely to front up for the Claremont side, while Cottesloe will most likely feature newcomers Robin Eldin and youngster Sehun Park.
Cottesloe are no strangers to home finals on their own turf. It’s the fourth consecutive home final appearance for Cottesloe and while they couldn’t win last season, they won the two previous finals.
Home ground advantage could play a huge part in this fixture as Claremont are yet to win a tie on grass courts. The away team is 0-3 in grass court matches while Cottesloe, who prefer the grass courts have won seven matches this season without a loss on grass courts.
In their previous encounter with Claremont this season, it was Cottesloe that came up as victors 4-2. Robin Eldin (Cottesloe) defeated Jayden Court (Claremont) in straight while Hans Bustiman (Claremont) and Tim Gray (Claremont) were victorious against Ben Webster and Adam Kehane.
The form player is Cottesloe captain Max Weir who goes into the match as the only player yet to lose a singles match this season. Cottesloe will be relying on Weir to get the win in his rubber as Claremont will have incredible depth if they play their full-strength side. For Claremont, the strength will come from Ethan Cook (5-1 win-loss record) and Tim Gray (6-1) and Hans Bustiman (7-3) who all have been dominant throughout this season.
If it comes down to doubles, expect Adam Kehane (Cottesloe) and Sam Ashenden (Claremont) to feature heavily. The Cottesloe side has been impressive in doubles, winning 11 matches and only losing three while Claremont have a doubles win-loss record of 11-9.
Claremont are looking to win their first Men’s State League title since 1974-75 while Cottesloe are looking for revenge after last season’s loss.
Catch all the State League Finals action on Tennis West Facebook and Tennis West YouTube.
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