Crack Wairarapa junior Sade Atkinson was an integral part of the Tennis Central squad which won the gold medal in the teams event at the national 16-years hardcourt championships held in Christchurch last week. ... For good measure she won the consolation plate singles too.
Central's dominance in their six-team competition
is evidenced by the points table which shows them finishing on 31 points, well ahead of second-placed Canterbury on 23. Then came Auckland, 22, Southern, 19, Northern, 8 and Waikato-Bays, 2.
Atkinson was seeded 14th in the singles and started with a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 win over Alexandra Howe before being beaten by fourth seed Carli Davis 2-6, 3-6.
That left her playing in the consolation plate and she won all three games there, beating seventh seed Deanna Haami 6-4, 6-2, 11th seed Bridget Liddell 6-2, 2-6, 10-4 (tiebreaker) and 12th seed Brogan Moate 6-2, 6-3.
There was notable success for Atkinson in the doubles too, where she and partner Saravinder Paanu reached the semifinals of the main championship.
They beat Jessica Hughson and Lauren Taylor-Harwood 3-6, 6-2, 10-3 (tiebreaker) and Toni Katapa and Abby Sykes 6-3, 6-2 before losing to top seeds and eventual title winners Leela Beattie and Bridget Liddell 1-6, 3-6.
Earlier in the month Atkinson contested the national 14-years hardcourt championships in Auckland and there too she was a key member of the Tennis Central squad which placed second behind Northern in the teams event.
Northern, which beat Central 4-2 in the final round, finished on 38 points, followed by Central, 33, Auckland, 20, Canterbury, 15, Southern, 12 and Waikato-Bays, 2.
In the singles competition Atkinson was placed eighth, beating Iva Rancic 6-1, 6-1 and Chezle Phillips 6-2, 6-3 before losing to Andrea Djokovic 5-7, 1-6 and Gabriella Coates also 5-7, 1-6.
