Tennis: Visitors rule at St Johns Club Junior Wanganui Open

Diminutive Wellington power pack Amy Kieboom is the new St Johns Club Junior Wanganui Open under-16 girls' singles titleholder. Photo / Stuart Munro

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Visiting players dominated the age-group singles at the annual St Johns Club Wanganui Junior Tennis Open on Tuesday, with several featuring in two divisions.

Rain on Monday delayed play and again yesterday, although fine spells arrived in time for top seed George Baird from Wellington to grab the under-12 singles boys' title from second seed Jonty Giesen from Palmerston North winning 6-4, 6-2.

In the girls' under-12 singles, Brooke Morgan from Lower Hutt franked her top seeding with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Wellingtonian and second seed Tuhina Sambhus. Morgan was also runner-up to Maria Galatescu in the under-14 grade earlier in the tournament.

The under-16 girls' final was an all-Wellington affair with the diminutive Amy Kieboom winning a three-set marathon that went to a super tiebreaker. Top seed Kieboom lost the first set 4-6 to second seed Raegan Pine before bouncing back with a 6-2 win in the second set. Kieboom won the super tiebreak 10-7 to take the title.

In the boys' under-16 final, Wellington's Sam Baird turned the tables on fellow Wellingtonian Zino Varouhas.

Wellington's Sam Baird won the under-16 boys' singles title at the St Johns Club Junior Wanganui Open yesterday after turning the tables on his under-14 final opponent Zino Varouhas. Photo / Stuart Munro

Second seed Varouhas had beaten Baird earlier in the under-14 boys' singles final in a three-set thriller. Losing the first set 5-7, Varouhas bounced back to take the next two sets, 6-1, 6-2 and the under-14 title.

On Tuesday, Baird won the under-16 final first set 6-4 before being pushed to finally take the second set 7-5.

The doubles finals action went into the evening beyond the Chronicle deadline on Tuesday.