Ratana sisters shine in junior tennis

Press, 2 January 1985, Page 3

Ratana sisters shine in junior tennis

The Ratana sisters caused tongues to wag busily at Wilding Park yesterday through their meritorious wins in the Coca Cola Canterbury age tennis championships. Lani Ratana, just back from the national junior championships, romped away from Karen Mellish in a singles semi-final of the 16 years girls’ event. Her younger sister, Cazna, did even better by eliminating the top-seeded Belinda Bennett in the 12 years girls’ singles. The size of Lani Ratana's

win, 6-0,6-2. caused astonishment, but Miss Mellish has not been in the best of health since returning from the national development squad training in Auckland. She will, however, have a chance for revenge when she plays her singles conqueror in the doubles final.

Jean-Pierre Andre and Jeffrey Brightwell, both of whom have ventured in the senior inter-club competition this summer, have shown themselves in a good light in the 16 years boys’ section. As well as playing each other in the singles final today, they will also feature in the doubles final, on opposite sides of the net. and have reached the semi-finals of the mixed doubles.

Australian competitors in the field of 164 have had mixed fortunes, but one combination which has done well is the doubles pairing of Annette Birchall and Mandy Baker in the 14 years grade. They won through to the final yes’terday, and will be opposed by the formidable duo of Amanda Trail and Ann Culhane. There will be big interest in the Culhane-Trail singles final in this division. An unheralded visitor from Wellington, Andrew Dobbs, struck some damaging blows to prominent Canterbury players in the 14 years boys’ singles. He eliminated Julian Faulls in the quarter-finals, then knocked out the No. 1 seed, Andrew Batie, in the

semi-finals. In the other half of the draw, Royce McKean, seeded third, beat the secondseeded Michael Smith. Visiting players also fared well in the 12 years section. Tim Lyons (Hawke’s Bay) and Matthew Webster (Auckland) reached the semi-finals of the boys’ singles, and Susan Russell (Otago) made similar progress in the girls’ singles. Webster subsequently bowed out to the top-seeded Alistair Hunt, but Lyons beat the No. 2 seed, Aaron Orangi, in three sets. Susan Russell then beat the second favourite in the girls’ singles, Tracy Croft, and will play Cazna Ratana in the final today. Results were:— 16 YEARS Girls’ singles— Quarterfinals: L. Ratana beat R. Lindsay (Aust.), 6-0, 6-4; K. Mellish beat J. Cochrane (Mid-Canty). 6-4, 6-2; M. J. Burke beat C. Campbell, 6-2, 6-2; J. Lake beat B. Hazel (Aust.), 7-6. 6-7, 6-4. Semi-finals: Ratana beat Mellish, 6-0, 6-2. Burke beat Lake, 6-4, 6-7, 6-4. Girls’ doubles.— Quarterfinals: L. Ratana and J. Lake beat J. Ffitch and J. Harper. 61, 6-1; B. Hazel and K. Owers (Aust.) beat C. Armstrong and V. Michael, 6-0, 6-2; R. Lindsay and C. Campbell (Aust.) beat M. Daly and F. Howard, 6-3, 62; M. J. Burke and K. Mellish beat M. Heaton and J. Trass, 62, 6-0. Semi-finals: Burke and Mellish beat Lindsay and Campbell, 6-3. 6-2; Ratana and Lake beat Hazel and Owers. 64. 6-4. Boys’ singles.— Quarterfinals: J. Brightwell beat P. Brightwell, 6-1. 6-2; T. Howe beat D. Clarke, 6-2, 6-1; R. Grav beat M. Liner, 6-2, 6-2; J. P. Andre beat H. Jamieson. 62, 6-4. Semi-finals: J. Brightwell beat Howe. 6-2, 6-1: J. P. Andre beat Grav. 6-3, 3-6. 6-2. Boys’ doubles.— Quarterfinals: R. Gray and J. P. Andre beat J. Cameron and R. Anderson (Aust.). 6-2, 6-0; T. Dries and R. Hannaford (Aust.) beat R. Lines and M. Lines, 6-3, 6-1: T. Howe and G. Beattie beat A. Martin and M. Wildenburg. 5-7. 6-1, 6-4; J. Brightwell and H. Jamieson beat R. McCabe and J. Davies (Aust.), 6-1, 6-0. Semi-

finals: Gray and J. P. Andre beat Dries and Hannaford, 6-0, 7-5: Brightwell and Jamieson beat Howe and Beattie, 6-3, 64. Mixed doubles.— Quarterfinals: J. Brightwell and L. Ratana beat W. Veal and J. Harper, 6-1, 6-2; J. P. Andre and F. Howard beat G. Beattie and K. Mellish, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3; R. Gray and M. Daly beat H. Jamieson and J. Lake, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4; T. Howe and M. J. Burke beat P. Brightwell and C. Armstrong. 6-1, 6-3. 14 YEARS Girls’ singles.- Quarterfinals: A. Culhane beat S. Barwick (Aust.), 6-1, 6-1; S. Farley (Aust.) beat S. Burnett, 6- 6-4; A. Birchall (Aust.) beat L. Allan, 6-2, 6-0; A. Trail beat M. Baker, 6-2, 6-3. Semi-finals: Culhane beat Farley, 6-3, 6-0: Trail beat Birchall, 6-2, 7Girls’ doubles— Quarterfinals: A. Culhane and A. Trail beat L. Flewellen and J. Ceelen, 6-0, 6-0; S. Barwick (Aust.) and V. Vaughan beat C. McNee and B. McKenzie. 7-5. 7-6; A. Birchall and M. Baker (Aust.) beat R. Ryan and K. Brownlee, 6-0, 6-1: G. Loe and E. Allan beat D. Mellish and S. Burnett, 6-2, 7-6. Semi-finals: Culhane and Trail beat Barwick and Vaughan, 6-1, 6-0; Birchall and Baker beat Loe and Allan, 6-3, 6-2. Boys’ singles- Quarterfinals: A. Batie beat A. iMacFarlane (S.C.) 4-6, 6-1, 6-1; A. Dobbs (Wellington) beat J. Faulls, 0-6. 6-3, 6-3; R. McKean beat S. Green, 6-3, 6-0; M. Smith beat D. Hatipov. 7-6, 6-2. Semi-finals: Dobbs beat Batie, 6-4, 6-2; McKean beat Smith. 62, 2-6. 6-4. Boys' doubles.— Quarterfinals: A. Batie and A. Bruce beat J. Grant and J. Russell (O), 6-4, 1-6, 7-6; A. Dobbs and H. Thomson beat A. Coull and D. Burke, 6-3, 3-6. 7-6; R. McKean and R. Brush beat D. Hatipov and S. Green, 6-4. 6-4; B. Furness and J. Faulls beat P. Burrows and A. Lawson. 6-1, 6-2. Semi-finals: Batie and Bruce beat Dobbs and Thomson, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4; Furness and Faulls beat McKean and Brush, 6-4. 5-7, 6-3. Mixed doubles.— Quarter finals: A. Batie and L. Allan beat S. Cox and R. Ryan, 6-2, 6-1; A. Bruce and C. McNee

beat S. Green and G. Loe, 6-1, 6-3; B. Furness and A. Culhane beat A. Parks and A. Birchall (Aust.), 6-3, 6-3; J. Faulls and A. Trail beat P. Burke and D. Mellish. 6-1, 6-2. Semi-finals: Faulls and Trail beat Furness and Culhane, 6-1, 6-3; Batie and Allan beat Bruce and McNee, 6- 6-2. 12 YEARS Girls’ singles.— Quarterfinals: B. Bennett beat A. Humphreys, 6-7, 6-0, 6-1; C. Ratana beat M. Prendergast, 6-3, 6-2; S. Russell beat R. Chailies, 6-2, 7- T. Croft beat A. Wormaid, 6-0, 6-1. Semi-finals: Ratana beat Bennett, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2; Russell beat Croft, 6-3, 6-1. Girls' doubles.— Quarterfinals: R. Chailies and M. Prendergast beat A. Humphreys and M. Strong, 6-0, 6-0; S. Russel! and S. Cochrane beat B. Thompson and M. Strong, 60, 6-3. Semi-finals: Bennett and Ratana beat Chailies and Prendergast, 6-3, 6-4; S. Russell and Cochrane beat Croft and Wormaid, 6-2, 6-4. Boys’ singles.— Quarterfinals: A. Hunt beat A. Marshall, 6-2, 6-3: M. Webster beat J. O’Malley, 7-6. 4-6, 6-3; T. Lyons (Hawke's Bay) beat M. Gray, 6-2, 6-2; A. Orangi beat S. Mather, 6-1, 6-3. Semi-finals: Hunt beat Webster, 6-3, 6-2; Lyons beat Orangi, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. Boys’ doubles.— Quarterfinals: A. Orangi and M. Gray beat A. Marshall and A. Griffiths, 7-6. 6-4; R. and S. McCarthy beat R. Shearer and A. Merthen, 6-4. 6-4; G. Escott and W. Gray beat A. Worley and C. Worley. 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; S. Mellor and A. Hunt beat J. O’Malley and M. Jenman, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. Semi-finals: Orangi and Gray beat R. and S. McCarthy, 6-4, 6-1; Mellor and Hunt beat Escott and Gray, 63. 6-1. Mixed doubles.- Quarterfinals.: A. Orangi and B. Bennett beat C. Worley and A. Strong. 6-1, 6-0; M. Gray and T. Croft beat M. Jenman and R. Chailies, 6-0, 1-6, 6-3; W. Gray (Otago) and S. Russell beat A. Worley and A. Humphrevs, 6-4, 6-4; A. Hunt and C. Ratana beat V. Stewart and M. Prendergast, 6-2, 6-0. Semi-finals: Orangi and Bennett beat M. Gray and Croft, 6-1, 7-6; Hunt and’ Ratana beat Grav and Russell. 6-3. 6-4.