THE second round of Gippsland Premier League tennis was played in warm conditions on Saturday with both matches at Bairnsdale.
Bairnsdale Witch dominated its match against last season’s premier Maffra.
Top-ranked Stephanie Barnett proved too strong for Maffra’s young Natalie Allman, winning 6-2 6-0, but Mitchell Allman and Jake Weir evened the score with an 8-5 win over Callum Tomlinson-Dale and James Cooper.
Patrick Deery and Amy Downie put Bairnsdale ahead with their 8-4 victory over Liam Seymour and Megan Harrison, while James Cooper followed up 6-0 6-4 over Jake Weir.
Cooper and Barnett continued with an 8-5 win over Weir and Natalie Allman, and Downie put Bairnsdale further ahead, defeating Harrison 6-2 6-2.
In a high standard match tiebreak, Tomlinson-Dale and Deery got home 9-8 over Mitchell Allman and Seymour.
Mitchell Allman showed his class with a 6-3 6-1 win over Tomlinson-Dale, but it was to no avail with Barnett and Downie overcoming Natalie Allman and Harrison 8-5. Seymour closed off the day with a tight Maffra win over Deery, 7-5 7-5.
BAIRNSDALE Subway and Sale split the rubbers 5-all, but it was Bairnsdale who won the day on sets.
Aidan Fitzgerald and Nick McConville were in great form against Brett Carter and Josh Deschepper, winning 8-1, and when Vivien Cadd took a thrilling match tiebreak from a valiant Lexie Joyce, 6-3 4-6 (10-7), Bairnsdale was on its way.
Ben Crowe and Jayme Waites added to Sale’s dilemna, winning a fantastic tiebreak 9-8 against Cohen Schuback and Paige Wilson.
In yet another nail biting match tiebreak, Sale’s Deschepper turned around a bagel first set to wear down McConville, 0-6 6-3 (10-5).
Carter and Joyce kept Sale’s hopes alive, defeating McConville and Cadd 8-6, but Waites stopped the flow with a great performance, 6-2 6-2 over Laura Jones.
In the shock of the round, Deschepper and Schuback showed the benefit of this standard of competition, upsetting Fitzgerald and Crowe 8-5, followed by Joyce and Jones outlasting Cadd and Waites, 8-6.
As expected, Fitzgerald defeated Carter, but it was the faultless double bagel scoreline, 6-0 6-0, which surprised everyone.
Schuback and Crowe played out the final match in yet another quality display with Schuback edging through 2-6 7-6 (10-7).
ON Saturday, Maffra will host Sale and the two Bairnsdale sides will play the derby.
