After another long and arduous Tennis Victoria Pennant season, Kooyong’s women have topped it off with by winning the Grade 1 flag.
Kate Antosik’s team had beaten Essendon in their sectional semi final before defeating Alana Parnaby’s team in the Grade 1 semi final to move on to face last year’s winners, Delahey Rec, in the grand final.
Played across eight rubbers, starting with four singles and then followed by four doubles rubbers, the grand final featured some of Victoria’s best players.
The battle at number one was always going to be critical and Kooyong’s Belinda Woolcock shaped up against Delahey Rec’s star Viktorija Rajicic and it was Belinda who came out firing as she took advantage of every opportunity to put her team in a commanding position by winning in straight sets 6/1 6/3.
The other three singles matches were there for the taking as all three headed into deciding sets.
Annabelle Andrinopoulos fought back from a set down to level her match with Monica Rajicic but Delahey Rec were able to get on the board as Monica rallied to win 6/3 2/6 6/2.
At number three, Kate Antosik was in a real fight with Melissa Esguerra, having won the first set and then conceding the next, it came down to a very tight third set where Kate used all of her experience to get past Melissa 6/4 4/6 6/4 and tip things back in Kooyong’s favour.
Molly Polak dropped the first set to Branka Potkonjak but fought back to level the match and then ran away with it 5/7 6/4 6/0 in an impressive final set to give Kooyong a three rubbers to one lead going into doubles.
The momentum was with the Kooyong girls and they kept the foot on the pedal as Belinda and Molly did battle with Viktorija and Branka and Kate and Laura McNamara played against Monica and Melissa.
Belinda and Molly showed no mercy in their match as they won in straights sets 6/1 6/2 to put themselves within one rubber of victory and the girls didn’t have to wait long as Kate and Laura made the most of their opportunities to win in straight sets 6/4 7/5 to take the title.
Congratulations to the whole team of Belinda Woolcock, Annabelle Andrinopoulos, Kate Antosik, Molly Polak, Laura McNamara, Brigitte Beck, Laura Rabinovich and Catherine Louis on a fantastic season!
