Rotorua's Jesse Galvin-Dawson is enjoying the fast-paced tennis on offer at the Golden Homes Sunday Shootout. Photo / File
Rotorua's Jesse Galvin-Dawson is enjoying the fast-paced tennis on offer at the Golden Homes Sunday Shootout. Photo / File
An innovative new tennis tournament in Mount Maunganui is attracting top players from throughout New Zealand, including Rotorua.
The Golden Homes Sunday Shootout, New Zealand's first unisex, one-set tennis competition, has been running monthly at the Mount Maunganui Tennis Club since October. It is the creation of ex-touring professional Jason Helms, who grew up in Rotorua.
Each monthly tournament sees 16 singles players compete over three hours, with men and women playing against each other in one-set matches - Helms hoped it would do for tennis what T20 had done for cricket.
Rotorua player Jesse Galvin-Dawson, who finished second at the first Sunday Shootout in October, was loving the new format.
"It's a pretty fast game, it's actually a wicked format. It's way more exciting. I was stoked just to play alongside some top players.
"It's definitely good for my tennis, the only way to improve is to play against better players. In the shootout you have to play aggressively straight from the serve, there's no room for errors, every point counts."
The series is part of a busy few months for Galvin-Dawson, who was also part of the premiership-winning Rotorua-Lynmore team and finished second in the open men's division at the Maori Tennis Championships in Hamilton last month.
Winner Rhett Purcell (left), tournament organiser Jason Helms and runner-up Jesse Galvin-Dawson at the first Golden Homes Sunday Shootout in October. Photo / Supplied
Helms said Galvin-Dawson "played incredible tennis" in the first Sunday Shootout, beating world ranked players to meet Rhett Purcell in the final.
"This is the only tournament in New Zealand where you get to have these opportunities. We were stoked that Jesse brought everything to the game and proved he was capable of playing at this level.
"Another Rotorua junior who has played all our tournaments is Logan Nathan, an exciting player who gets to play world-ranked players in the Sunday Shootout. This will only improve his game and confidence.
"In the November tournament Logan had an epic battle with another Rotorua tennis player James Wilce, going down in Sunday Shootout's first tiebreaker," Helms said.
Into its fourth month, the tournament has seen world-ranked players enter, as well as rising junior players and ex-pros.
This Sunday's tournament has attracted brothers Finn and Rob Reynolds. Finn's highest 2017 world junior ranking (ITF) was 83 and the brothers were runners-up in a nail biting final in last month's New Zealand Residentials.
"We are thrilled to have the Reynold brothers come to our tournament, both are excellent players. Finn, who turns 18 this week, is a left-handed player and was runner-up in the Australian Open Juniors in 2017. He is New Zealand's next big tennis star," Helms said.
Top players were signing up for the competition because they enjoyed the fast-paced nature of the competition and it was "not too hard on their bodies", he said.
"Audiences are delighted to watch top women players hitting up against top male players – something you never ever see in regular singles tennis tournaments. It also provides the players with fantastic match practice and they get to play on our new courts."
Golden Homes Sunday Shootout
Sunday at Mount Maunganui Tennis Club 16 singles players compete for $1000 prize Free entry for spectators Starts at 3.30pm and finishes by 6pm
