Left: Steve Fitton has a strong backhand which took him to the runner-up position.
PAKENHAM’S Steve Fitton and Traralgon’s Josh Charlton had to go to a super tie-breaker to decide the winner of their A Grade final at the Pakenham Regional Tennis Centre on Sunday.
They put on a thrilling conclusion to a junior graded singles tournament in which players came from Gippsland and Melbourne’s south-east to compete on the 18 plexi-cushion courts.
Charlton stormed his way through the rounds, only dropping one game – but he met with a tough contest in the final against Fitton.
In blustery conditions, Fitton was able to control the first set, winning 6-0, before Charlton regained his composure to take the second set 6-3.
The match went into a deciding super tie-breaker, where Charlton captured 10 points to Fitton’s four.
Charlton will compete at Caulfield over the long weekend, while Fitton contests another tournament at Pakenham.
In B Grade, Cameron Kelly won his four sets to collect the trophy against Michael Battye. It was 8-4 in the final.
The C Grade event was won by Nikolas Bishop, who defeated his good friend, Connor Hadley, 8-4, while in D Grade, Luke Horvath defeated Joel Motta in a thrilling final six games to five.
The Pakenham Regional Tennis Centre will host a two-day tournament this weekend, with events for junior and adult players.
Contact tournament director Paul Osborne at ossie30@bigpond.net.au or phone 5629 2121.
