Champions: Isabella Crossman, pictured, and her teammate Piper Freeman earned a straight sets victory in the women’s doubles final at the 2023 Goulburn Valley Junior and Open Championships. Photo: Aydin Payne
Tennis hotshot Isabella Crossman has started off the new year with a bang after claiming the women’s doubles title at the 2023 Goulburn Valley Junior and Open Championships on Wednesday.
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Crossman and her partner Piper Freeman put on a stellar display in the final at Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club, cruising to a 6–2, 6–3 victory over Gold Coast duo Laquisa Khan and Sahra Dennehy.
It was a blockbuster encounter in the finale, which saw the tournament’s number one seeds, Khan and Dennehy, face off against second-seeded duo Crossman and Freeman.
Neither pair had dropped a set in any of their first three matches, setting up a tantalising decider.
In the end, Crossman and Freeman were simply too good for the heavy-hitting duo of Khan and Dennehy, taking home the prize money after claiming a straight sets victory.
Dynamic duo: Doubles partners Piper Freedman, left, and Isabella Crossman on court at Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club. Photo: Aydin Payne
It was a fantastic tournament overall for Crossman, who also competed in the women’s open singles event.
The teenager stormed through to the semi-finals in dominant fashion, winning her first three matches with an aggregate score of 36–5.
But it was there that her run came to an end, with Crossman falling to Khan — who she would later face again in the doubles final — 3–6, 6–1, 10–5.
In the final, Khan faced off against her own doubles partner and clubmate Dennehy, with Deenehy triumphing in straight sets 6–4, 7–6.
Crossman will return to the court next week when she takes part in the 2023 J300 Traralgon World Tennis Tour Junior event.
In the junior events at the Goublurn Valley Championships, Echuca Tennis Club’s Eli Kingma will also return from Shepparton with a title, after winning the under-11s boys doubles with Kade Starling.
The pair finished in first place after earning a pair of wins, including a thrilling 3–6, 6–4, 11–9 victory that went down to the wire.
First place: Eli Kingma, pictured, won the under-11 boys doubles title alongside Kade Starling at the 2023 Goulburn Valley Junior and Open Championships this week. Photo: Steve Huntley
