With a tennis racquet and ball in hand, more than 50 junior players took part in the Sale Tennis Club school holiday clinic and UTR (Universal Tennis Ranking) Tournament on Wednesday, September 21.
Every term holiday, Sale Tennis Club hosts a three-day school holiday clinic with professional tennis coach Jason Yap, with the latest instalment from Monday, September 19 until Wednesday, September 21, generating an unprecedented increase in numbers.
Club president Robin Lowe said the numbers were far beyond previous clinics.
“We had over 50 students involved in the school holiday clinic; previously, we have had about 30, so the numbers were substantially higher this time around,” Lowe said.
“It has been a testament to Jason’s organisational skills and training.”
Tennis players as young as five and to the age of 16 take part in the program, learning valuable skills and gaining practical experience.
On the third and final day of the Sale clinic, Wednesday, September 21, students competed in the UTR Tournament, putting their new-found knowledge and skills to the test.
“UTR stands for universal tennis ranking,” Lowe said. “It is an attempt to have a ranking system worldwide; it’s a complex ranking system that boils down to a single number.
“Kids playing single matches establish a UTR to work out where they fit in the ranking world, so to speak, and are matched with opponents with similar UTR ratings.”
The UTR Tournament is a unisex tournament that matches opponents solely based on their UTR ranking.
Sale Tennis Club’s Jack Leunig, Alex Booth and Rose Gleeson won the UTR Tournament in the respective sections, taking home tournament trophies to acknowledge their award.
On completion of the Sale school holiday clinic, coach Jason Yap awards three students with the Sale Tennis Club sportsmanship award.
Eli Hutty, Ethan Fairhall and Elliot Graham were the winners of the club’s Term 3 school holiday clinic sportsmanship awards.
The next school holiday clinic will be in January 2023; however, dates are yet to be announced.
Junior tennis starts tomorrow, with Sale Tennis Club’s youngsters putting their new-found skills into action.
Information about the next school holiday clinic or the upcoming season can be found at the Sale Tennis Club Facebook Page or via the Sale Tennis Club team app.
