Blustery conditions settled into a steamy evening for players and viewers on Monday night, with a good crowd forming for the Open, Plate and under-18 finals.
The Open Championships pitted Amcal pharmacist Matt Crittenden against local carpenter Michael Levy.
The match was expected to be tight, with Levy and Crittenden having close matches consistently and each having wins over the other in recent months.
The opening set was a long battle, and with the match on serve at 4-4 it looked like the contest was going to be more about attrition than a battle of skill.
Crittenden held serve comfortably to make it 5-4 before applying pressure on Levy’s serve.
A great rally at 0-15 went Crittenden’s way after a net cord ball dropped just over to make it 0-30.
Levy fought back, but when he double-faulted for the second time in the game, it handed Crittenden the first set 6-4.
The second set saw Crittenden continue on his way to a second title after winning the inaugural tournament in 2018.
Levy started a fightback late but another double fault on match point ended any chance of a comeback.
Levy said he played well below his best and was visibly frustrated throughout both sets.
‘‘It’s disappointing on a night like that, when your strongest shot — in my case, my forehand — just goes completely missing,’’ Levy said.
‘‘But I think you have to give all the credit to Crittenden, because a lesser opponent may not have put me in a position whereby I wasn’t able to steady and find some rhythm.
‘‘He was clearly the better, more aggressive player in the match and deserved the win.’’
Crittenden addressed his fellow competitors in his post-match speech.
‘‘I was impressed with how all 12 players are stepping up and improving and making the top guys work to keep their rankings,’’ Crittenden said.
Both Levy and Crittenden hadn’t dropped a set throughout the tournament until the final, but were challenged by other players during the tournament.
The contest is set to be continued annually, pitting the town’s top 12 to 16 singles players against each other on hardcourts.
The Plate final between Dylan Patuzska and Nick De Winne went the way of a strong Patuzska.
Despite solid rallying, De Winne was unable to stay with Patuzska, with the match ending 6-2, 6-1.
It ended a satisfactory tournament for Patuzska, who is expected to jump to the Open division next year.
Court three had the 2019 under-18s final, where Xavier Whittingslow was too consistent for the highly talented Bailey Maher.
The tournament’s two youngest players battled it out, each bringing to the court their own strengths.
The annual month-long championships, which was created last year by a committee group at the Gardens, is now established.
‘‘We decided we needed to establish something where all the top players in town, regardless of whether they are members at our club or of any age and gender, can compete in singles matches at the competitive level,’’ tournament director Levy said.
‘‘It’s important the juniors see peers playing good, enjoyable tennis and that they have benchmarks to improve towards that aren’t just at the professional level.
‘‘There must be as many encouragements for our current and future players to keep participating in sport of all types in this day and age.’’
He said the support from the crowd, the players, the media and major supporters, Benalla Bowls Club and Sportspower was greatly appreciated by the club.
For any interested players in town, the structure of the tournament means that prior to February 2020 all Benalla and District residents are eligible to inquire about how they can qualify for next year’s championships.
The club is interested in increasing female participation at this level and inquiries can be directed to Gardens Tennis Club, phone 0433520809.
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