Strong fields serve it up at annual Easter tournament

Along with the two marquee events, players of all ages and abilities will get a chance to strut their stuff, with a slew of other competitions set to add to the Easter spectacle.

Throw in a host of exciting social functions and activities for the whole family, and this year’s event has the making of the most exciting yet.

When it comes to the tennis, the question on everyone’s lips heading into the weekend is can Goulburn Valley native Eliza Bingham (formerly Long) make it a record five straight Women’s Open championships in a row?

The list of challengers is the strongest the tournament has seen in many years, with a number of up-and-coming players determined to be the one that knocks Bingham off her pedestal.

Last year’s Open Women’s finalist Miranda Poile presents as an interesting proposition, with the American College tennis graduate and number one at Melbourne’s Grace Park Tennis Club keen to go one better in 2022.

One player to look out for over the weekend is Rich River tennis prodigy and current Open Women’s Victorian inter-regional champion Isabella Crossman, who will be hoping to add an Easter Tournament title to her budding resume.

Rounding out the early favourites is four-time Club Champion of Royal South Yarra Tayla Stenta, with her four years of NCAA College experience sure to test the field.

Of the local talent, Olivia Quigley continues her return from a serious shoulder injury and will be a dangerous early opponent for the seeds, while Hope Curtis-McDonald will be excited to test herself in the Open competition.

The Men’s Open Singles sees defending champion and number one seed Daniel Ferretti return to defend his title.

Ferretti has previously spent time abroad on the ITF Challenger circuit and maintains an active involvement in tennis through coaching in Melbourne.

Ferretti’s strong serve and all-court game proved to be an invaluable asset for him on the Shepparton grass courts last year, as he overcame North Ringwood’s Josh Tran in a tight final 6-4, 7-6.

Tran, himself a former winner in 2019, will also be returning to attempt to add a second singles title to his trophy cabinet. Tran has been a regular Grade One Melbourne Pennant player, fronting up this year in a formidable North Ringwood outfit.

Bundoora’s Matt Findlay enters the tournament as the number two seed, and will be keen to go one better than his finals appearance in 2019.

James Dougherty, like Ferretti, has spent time abroad on the ITF Circuit, and despite maintaining limited involvement in competitive play, is a name many will fear playing once he gets his eye in.

Canterbury head coach Nima Roshan is a dangerous floater who poses a headache for seeds. A former world top 500 singles player and top 200 doubles player, Roshan now devotes his time to developing the next round of future stars.

Outside of the top seeds, there are several Grade One Melbourne Pennant players who are more than capable of causing an upset.

Wes Neylon, Callum Metcher, Michael Turlejski, Aymeric Mara and Tom Zaleski will prove stern competition for the top seeds and will ensure that none have an easy run through to the final.

There is also plenty of local men’s talent who will be out to test themselves against the strength of the Melbourne players.

Shepparton Lawn guns Nick Gattuso and James Curtis-McDonald, as well as Numurkah premiership number one David Poole, will be out to take it to the rest of the field, with their strong grass court games and local knowledge sure to cause trouble for their early round opponents.

The Shepparton Easter Tournament begins on Friday, April 15, and goes until Monday, April 18.