Eliza Long showcased her sublime talents by claiming the women's singles final on the last day of the 2021 Goulburn Valley JT and AMT Championships.
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In front of her home fans at Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club on Tuesday, Long claimed a hard-fought victory over Helena Spiridis in three energy-sapping sets.
The 25-year-old grinded out a thrilling 5-7, 6-4, 11-9 victory in a match that almost ticked past the two-hour mark.
Long, formerly ranked 30th in Australia, used her experience to overcome the younger Spiridis in the gruelling final.
After losing the opening set 7-5, Long bounced back superbly with a dominant 6-4 second set — before saluting in the third and final set 11-9.
The gallant victory was Long's first singles title at the championships since the 2017 edition and third overall.
It was a day of finals action for the tennis maestro, with Long also featuring in the women's doubles and mixed doubles deciders.
Unfortunately, Long was unable to claim victory in those events.
Long and women's doubles partner, Shepparton's Ashlea Baker, suffered a heart-breaking 2-6, 6-1, 10-4 loss to Bianca Duff and Nicole Mullen.
And it was another three-set affair in the open mixed doubles, with Long and Shepparton's Jarrod Bingham going down 3-5, 4-1, 11-9.
However, it was a tough end to the tournament for Shepparton duo Luke Dixon and Bingham.
After a stellar run in the men's doubles event, the pair suffered a disappointing 6-2, 6-3 loss in the final to James Brushfield and Adam Lasky.
Lastly, the men's singles final ended in 55 minutes after second-seed Matt Leffler retired from the match.
Jack Clements saluted 7-6 (4), 1-0 to take out his first Goulburn Valley AMT singles title.
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