Tātaki Auckland Unlimited (TAU), on behalf of Auckland Council, has confirmed a $5 million capital grant towards the Tennis Auckland Roof Project, completing the $15 million fund required to deliver a major upgrade to the Manuka Doctor Arena - a key regional facility and home of the long-standing ASB Classic.

Today's announcement comes as Auckland prepares to welcome players and visitors for the 2026 ASB Classic, which begins on 5 January. With tennis already on everyone's minds, TAU says it is timely to reaffirm its commitment to strengthening one of the region's iconic event venues.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown says it's about making the most of key assets and encouraging sporting events that deliver real value for Aucklanders.

This needs to be done. I've been at too many events ruined by rain. This is about making sure we have venues at a standard for world‑class events to continue.

TAU Chief Executive Nick Hill says the project is a well‑considered and prudent investment in a proven asset and is an example of a collaborative approach between central and local government.

The ASB Classic consistently delivers strong benefits for Auckland, but weather disruption presents a growing risk to its success, Hill says.

By jointly supporting a permanent roof over centre court, we are protecting those benefits, ensuring certainty for event organisers and audiences and strengthening an important facility that serves Aucklanders year‑round.

Each year, the ASB Classic delivers an average GDP benefit of $2.1 million to the region, delivers over 16,000 visitor nights and reaches an estimated global broadcast audience of 30 million. Increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, however, have placed pressure on the event's ability to run uninterrupted.

The addition of the roof will expand how the Manuka Doctor Arena can be used, enabling a wider range of indoor sporting, entertainment and community activities beyond elite tennis. This includes hosting sports such as basketball and volleyball, community events, and new commercial and cultural opportunities.

TAU will also gain commercial and brand benefits from the investment, including increased visibility for Auckland Council Events, value‑in‑kind usage rights, and permanent branding opportunities within the precinct.

Auckland Council Events will have a stronger footprint at the venue, ensuring Aucklanders can more clearly see the council's role in supporting major events that bring people together and generate value for the region, Hill says.

This project strengthens a regionally significant asset and supports Auckland's reputation as an international events destination.

Tennis Auckland Chief Executive Officer Rohan West says the grant finalises the full funding package for the project.

Tennis Auckland sincerely thanks Tataki Auckland Unlimited and the Auckland Council for this vote of confidence. As a major and long‑term partner of Tennis Auckland, the ASB Classic and the Manuka Doctor Arena as a venue, this funding provides certainty for the project, West says.

We are very excited for the future and are ready to greenlight the next phase of the project. We can't wait to get things underway.

The project is co‑funded by TAU, the Government, and Tennis Auckland, bringing total investment to $15 million.

The Manuka Doctor Arena sits on council‑owned land administered under the Domain Act 1987 and is operated by the Tennis Auckland Region Incorporated, a registered charitable trust.

Tips and tricks for the infamous Tennis Elbow

Tennis elbow is the feeling of pain on the outside of your elbow when gripping and/or lifting something, and gradually builds over time. This injury does not necessarily come from playing tennis! We often see office workers, labourers, weightlifters and racket-sport athletes who develop tennis elbow. In combat sports, we commonly see them in pad holders and commonly boxers as well. Here are a couple of tips and tricks on how to help manage your potential tennis elbow pain.

WHAT IS TENNIS ELBOW?
– An over-use injury that causes your wrist extensor tendons (on the outside of your elbow) to become inflamed and therefore painful when using these muscles.

WHAT CAUSES TENNIS ELBOW?
– Repetitive gripping (e.g. racket sports) or constant hammering type of action (repetitive use of the muscle).
– Potentially a previously injured shoulder of the same arm

WHAT WOULD I FEEL IF I HAD IT?
– Pain on the outer part of your elbow, either when pressing this area or when gripping an object (e.g. swinging a racket, typing on a computer keyboard or trying to open a jam jar)
– More pain and tightness when you wake up in the morning
– Sometimes feels a little better once warmed up
– Some people feel pins and needles in their arm
– Aching sensation in the elbow

HOW DO I MANAGE TENNIS ELBOW?
– I highly recommend booking in with a physiotherapist to begin with, to make sure that what you are feeling is truly tennis elbow. There are a few other diagnoses that present similarly to tennis elbow that we would want to rule out first. Exercises and manual therapy have also been proven to help reduce tennis elbow pain and strengthen the area to help prevent it from re-occurring[1].
– Strengthening exercises!! This is what will help the most long-term. Your physiotherapist will guide you and provide you with an evidence-based strengthening program for your elbow, and potentially your shoulder should it be necessary.
– Studies have shown that using a tennis elbow strap on your forearm helps to provide a significant reduction in pain while you carry out daily activities[2]. You can usually find these at your local pharmacy or your physiotherapist will likely sell them. We recommend using the brace as an adjunct to physiotherapy. If you are unsure about this, you can discuss this with your physiotherapist.

– Avoid any aggravating activity to begin with, so that your pain has the opportunity to reduce.
– Heat application (via a wheat bag or hot bottle) to help reduce muscle tension and improve blood flow to the tendons in the forearm.
– Massage of the forearm muscles to reduce muscle tension.
– Wrist stretch

WHAT ABOUT CORTISONE INJECTIONS?
– A study has found that after 6 weeks, individuals with cortisone injections had poorer outcome that individuals who had physical therapy, or individuals who simply had no physical input but assurances and education [3]! So before rushing off to get your cortisone, make sure you consult someone who can at least provide you with decent advice!

HOW LONG WILL I HAVE TENNIS ELBOW FOR?
This depends on a few things[1].
1. The severity of your pain and any other symptoms.
2. Your environment (e.g. your occupation or home tasks)
3. Compliance: ensuring the rehab program is completed as recommended by your physiotherapist.
Under a guided program, healing time can take 1-2 months, or it may take 6-12 months, depending on the above factors.

References
1. Coombes, B. K., Bisset, L., & Vicenzino, B. (2015). Management of Lateral Elbow Tendinopathy: One Size Does Not Fit All. The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy, 45(11), 938–949. doi:10.2519/jospt.2015.5841

2. Heales, L. J. (2020). Evaluating the immediate effect of forearm and wrist orthoses on pain and function in individuals with lateral elbow tendinopathy: A Systematic Review. Musculoskeletal Science & Practice , 47, 102-147.

3. Bisset (2006) Mobilisation with movement and exercise, corticosteroid injection, or wait and see for tennis elbow: randomised trial BMJ 2006; 333

https://physiologic.co.nz

A new champion and a repeat winner at the 2019 Wellington Open NZ Tennis Championships at the Renouf Centre.

In the women’s singles it was Paige Hourigan finally succeeding to win her first NZ Champs title in her fourth final, by beating Wellington’s Kelly Southwood.

But it was after a hard battle that the 22-year-old from Whanganui had to focus her game and take the first set 6-4. In the second she cut out the errors and forced play on her opponent for the victory 6-2.

The title was a success for Hourigan after a difficult year off the court and where her career showed potential to take a big leap forward following her finals appearance at the ASB Classic doubles.

Southwood, the 25-year-old from Wellington is set to try her hand at the ITF Futures tour next year after taking some time out from the game.

In the men’s final, Wellington’s Finn Tearney turned around a huge deficit to win his third consecutive title, something which hasn’t been achieved since Kelly Evernden in 1985-87.

Tearnery, 29 was down 3-6 1-4 against second seed Ajeet Rai from Taranaki but kept himself in the game by chasing every ball and making Rai hit an extra shot.

There was a wobble on his first match point as he double faulted, but the second saw him serve and volley for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win in 100 minutes.

Straight after the match Tearney who has been as high as 356 on ATP rankings was exhausted, but thrilled with the win. “It feels good. I’m pretty knackered,” he said. “Credit to Ajeet he’s got a big game and can do a lot of damage. But I know how to compete hard and that’s what I know what to do. I love playing tennis and love competing.”

The men’s doubles saw just the second NZ title for world No.43 Marcus Daniell who teamed with Lower Hutt teenager George Stoupe to defeat Wellington’s KP Pannu and Rai 7-5 6-3.

The women’s doubles had Hourigan and teen Vivian Yang accounted for Aucklanders, Holly Stewart and Sarah Weekley 6-4 2-6 11-9.

There’s plenty on the line for all finalists in the finals of the 2019 Wellington Open NZ Tennis Championships at the Renouf Tennis Centre.

Men’s double-defending champ, Finn Tearney is aiming  to become the first man to win three-in-a-row at the NZ Championships for over 30 years when he plays second seed Ajeet Rai, while women’s top seed Paige Hourigan is targeting her first title after being a finalist on three previous occasions.

Success for Tearney would mean he would be the first male to win three consecutive since Kelly Evernden 1985-87. If his finals opponent, Rai was to win it would be his first title.

Tearney had a straight set win over Macsen Sisam in the quarter-finals and then defeated Alex Klintcharov, also in straight sets in the semis. For Taranaki’s Rai it was a win over Canterbury’s Connor Heap in three sets in the quarters and then a more straightforward win over KP Pannu in the semis.

The women’s final has intrigue with current New Zealand women’s No.1 Hourigan, 22 having taken a break from the game for a month or two after a rough year, including her father passing away. She’s back on the court and taking on Wellington’s Kelly Southwood, who had taken time away from the game after completing her scholarship at Auburn University in Alabama and working in the corporate world.

Southwood, 25 is now keen on having a go at the pro tour and earning a share of the $12,000 prizemoney and a possible wildcard into ITF events next year would go a long way to helping her out.

For Whanganui’s Hourigan making the final was a little tougher than expected as she struggled to overcome junior, Elyse Tse in the quarter-finals in three sets, but then easily despatched Marlborough’s Jade Otway in the semis.

“Elyse she played really, really well. I hadn’t played for two or three months now. The first set went well and I guess you lose your focus as I hadn’t played that much. The semifinal went well and hopefully the final will go well too,” said Hourigan.

“I had a few family things going on and I just decided to stop playing for a while and wasn’t really loving tennis anymore, but definitely loving tennis again now and back on track.”

The finals will be held from 1.30pm Sunday at the Renouf Tennis Centre in Wellington.

The 2019 Wellington Open and NZ Tennis Championships start getting down to the business end of the tournament at the Renouf Centre as the top four seeds enter the draws.

Finn Tearney the double-defending champ is set to face Macsen Sisam, the big hitting Aucklander who is still a teenager and is on a scholarship at Vanderbilt University in the United States. It was Tearney who beat Sisam in the final of the same event two years ago and it will be a test of the younger player to see how much he has improved.

North Harbour third seed Alex Klintcharov plays Isaac Becroft, the Wellington player who is on a scholarship at Mississippi State. Becroft had earlier beaten George Stoupe from Lower Hutt in three sets. In-form KP Pannu is set to take on third seed and former Davis Cup team member Ollie Statham in his quarter-final while second seed Ajeet Rai (Taranaki) plays Canterbury’s Connor Heap who had a straight set victory over Hawkes Bays Rob Reynolds.

In the women’s quarter-finals singles matches there is a wide range of players from around the country.

Top seed Paige Hourigan aged 22 and  ranked 439 in the world in singles and 134 in doubles comes from Whanganui and will face Auckland’s Elyse Tse, the national 16’s champion in her match. 

Teenager, Jade Otway is from Marlborough and plays Louise Waite who is originally from Taranaki but is on a scholarship at Eastern Washington State University while Elys Ventura from North Harbour is up against Auckland’s  Vivian Yang.

In the bottom section of the draw second seed, Wellington’s Kelly Southwood plays Auckland’s Holly Stewart, a doubles winner at the NZ Champs last year.

In the men’s doubles semisfinals world No.43 Marcus Daniell and Stoupe play Teanery and Becroft while Matt Alexander and Reece Falck play Pannu and Rai in the other semi.

Play starts early on Saturday at 9.30am with two round of singles and the big prize of a share of $12,000, plus wildcards into pro ITF tournaments in the new year.

There were no major upsets in the initial round of the 2019 Wellington Open NZ Tennis Championships at the Renouf Centre in the Capital as all of the seeded players won their matches in straight sets.

Macsen Sisam, the 2017 runner-up won 6-4 6-4 over Wellington’s Milo Benn, although it took in excess of two hours for the victory. Sisam now faces the talented 16-year-old James Sim from Bucklands Beach in Auckland.

The highly rated Wellingtonian, KP Pannu who has ATP ranking points to his name won his match over Daniel Rowe 6-3 6-3 and Isaac Becorft accounted for Alexander Evans from the Manawatu in his match. He now features in one of the top matches of the second round against Rotorua junior Nick Beamish while Lower Hutt’s George Stoupe faces former semifinalist Zack Waanga in another notable contest.

Hawkes Bays Rob Reynolds and the Canterbury duo of Connor Heap and Reece Falck were other names to progress.  

The feature double match of the second day of the tournament will match Sisam and Alexander Klintcharov against Falck and Matt Alexander while the women’s singles has Holly Stewart taking on fellow Aucklander Sofia Shing and Sarah Weekley against another Aucklander in Isabelle Coman.

The top four seeded players in men’s and women’s singles draws as well as top seeded doubles teams including world No.43 Marcus Daniell take the court on Saturday with the finals of the tournament on Sunday afternoon. The tournament is worth $12,000 and wildcards for ITF Futures tournaments around the country in the new year.

The first matches at the Wellington Open NZ Championships get underway today at midday with some of New Zealand’s ATP ranked players taking the court along with a number of rising stars of the sport in New Zealand.

There are plenty of incentives at the tournament which runs 19-22 December at Wellington’s Renouf Tennis Centre with a prize pool of $12,000 and potential wildcards to ITF Futures tournaments around the country in the new year.

Starting on court first is 19-year-old, Macsen Sisam from Auckland who was a beaten finalist in the NZ Champs two years ago and is a powerful hitter who is currently on a scholarship at Vanderbilt in the United States. In the first round he takes on Wellington’s Milo Benn who is on a tennis scholarship at the University of Montana.

Another Wellingtonian who has entered the pro rankings is KP Pannu who is an outsider for the title. He has improved his game dramatically by playing ITF Futures tournaments and takes on Hawkes Bay junior Daniel Rowe in the first round.

Lower Hutt teen, George Stoupe plays his singles match today and later in the tournament will be on court in the doubles with top player Marcus Daniell who is ranked 43rd in the world.

Also taking the court in first round matches are top Canterbury junior Reece Falck, another Wellington teen in Isaac Becroft,  Rob Reynolds from the Hawkes Bay, plus a number of early round women’s matches.

The men’s singles draw has double-defending champion, Finn Tearney along with Ajeet Rai as two of the top seeds while the women’s draw is headed by New Zealand No.1 Paige Hourigan.

The tournament runs from 19-22 December at the Renouf Tennis Centre in Wellington with the finals day televised live on Sky TV.

http://www.tenniscentral.kiwi/

It’s a rarity for any of the three Kiwi top 100  doubles ranked tennis players to spend time in New Zealand. Mike Venus at No.10, Marcus Daniell ranked 43 and Artem Sitak at 62nd all excel around the world, but spend little time in their home country.

However Daniell is back in New Zealand and ready to relax, by playing another tennis event, this time the 2019 Wellington Open NZ Championships starting at the Renouf Centre in the Capital tomorrow.

Thirty-year-old Daniell will team up with Lower Hutt teen, George Stoupe as top seeds. Stoupe performed admirably when he took the court at the ASB Classic earlier this year and is highly regarded as a top prospect for New Zealand.

“It’s always great to play at ‘home’ in my local tournament,” says Daniell.  “The organisors do a great job of promoting the sport and I like to help out as a local to assist. It’s nice for my family to not have to fly to watch me play. My parents will actually get to see me on the court without the big travel.”

For Daniell 2019 has been an up and down year with success mixed with disruptions.

“I’m not overly happy with my ranking. I had a couple of setbacks early in the year with a major should injury and then splitting with a doubles partner. You can’t just get back on the horse straight away after that,” said Daniell. But there were highlights too.

For the first time he progressed to the last eight at Wimbledon and added to his collection of titles.

“Winning the title at Brisbane was a biggie and making the quarters at Wimbledon was of course up there. There are always highs and lows in a year.”

There was also two runners-up finishes at ATP tournaments in the Netherland’s and Hungary and he got to play on the biggest court in tennis, Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open.

Unfortunately he won’t get to defend his Brisbane title as the tournament no longer exists with the new ATP Cup format in the first week of the year. Daniell will see his ranking go down but at least has a regular partner in Philipp Oswald, the Austrian ranked 43rd .

“I’ve decided the travel is too demanding to go to Doha the only ATP tournament in the first week. We had a good end to the year together and we’ll play a Challenger tournament in Canberra to start the year. I’ll lose points with no Brisbane, but it will still be a good tournament to play. We’ll meet in Canberra January 4 and try to get plenty of matches and practice before the ASB Classic and then the Australian Open.”

But first Daniell has to win the title at the Wellington Open NZ Champs which has a strong doubles draw with a number of young players wanting to make their mark.

In singles the likely top seed will be double-defending champion, Finn Tearney ahead of Ajeet Rai with other ATP ranked players such as KP Pannu, Alex Klintcharov, Macsen Sisam and Ollie Statham.

The women’s draw is headed by New Zealand No.1 Paige Hourigan from Whangaui.

The tournament runs from 19-22 December at the Renouf Tennis Centre in Wellington with the finals day televised live on Sky TV.

A strong and very even field has been confirmed for the 2019 Wellington Open NZ Championships starting next week in the Capital.

Traditionally the NZ Champs has been held in Auckland or North Harbour, however this year it is combined with the Wellington Open to provide even more incentive to the best Kiwi players with $12,000 prizemoney, prestige and potential wildcards to ITF tournaments in Te Anau and Hamilton.

The men’s singles entries have seven of the top ATP ranked New Zealand men. Only Rubin Statham who is out with injury is missing.

Heading the field is double defending champion, Finn Tearney of Wellington who is currently ranked 805 in the world. He’s followed by Rhett Purcell who played his first match of Davis Cup for New Zealand this year.

Ajeet Rai is third ranked after a mixed year with injuries. When fit the Taranaki 20-year-old played Davis Cup as well as main draw doubles at the ASB Classic and qualifying in singles.

North Harbour 23-year-old Alex Klintcharov with an ATP ranking of 1200 heads a list of other pro players including former Davis Cup player, Oliver Statham, Wellington’s KP Pannu and Macsen Sisam who was a finalist at the NZ Champs two years ago.

The next group of players includes Alex Hunt, Rob Reynolds and Isaac Becroft, all of whom have had ATP rankings in singles or doubles in recent times.

The tournaments have an exceptional doubles entry list which features Marcus Daniell the world No.43. The Wairarapa-born player reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon this year as well as winning the ATP title at Brisbane and being a finalist at two other ATP events. He will be teaming up with George Stoupe who played at the ASB Classic in January.

Other top doubles teams include Tearney who is looking for his third consecutive doubles title and second consecutive win with Isaac Becroft.

There’s also Hunt and Reynolds, Sisam and Klintcharov, Pannu and Rai plus three combinations of brothers; Oliver and Finlay Hall, Matt and Sam Shearer and Connor and Dylan Heap.

In the women’s draws Paige Hourigan is the outright favourite. She was the finalist at the NZ Champs last year and winner of the Wellington Champs title.

Paige 22 from just outside of Whanganui has a current WTA career high ranking of 134 in the world in doubles and 439 in singles.

Her best results in 2019 include winning a Futures singles title and reaching the semis at a US$25k Challenger tournament . In doubles she made the final of the ASB Classic in Auckland with Taylor Townsend and won six US$25K titles .

In the doubles draw at the Wellington Open NZ Championships Hourigan is teaming up with Vivian Yang while Holly Stewart and Sarah Kate Weekley are the likely second seeds

A couple of wildcards are being kept open for late entries to the women’s singles where a group of younger players such as Nina Parapovich, Holly Stewart, Jade Otway, Yang and Elys Ventura will try to push Hourigan for the title.

“Over the last few years, we’ve created a very special atmosphere around the Wellington Open that players and the community seem to enjoy and support. Combining our event with the NZ Championships adds even more prestige and talent to the tournament. The standard of play will be high all round,” said tournament director, Florent Perret.

The tournament runs from 19-22 December at the Renouf Tennis Centre in Wellington with the finals day televised live on Sky TV.

http://www.tenniscentral.kiwi/

One of the more impressive improvements in New Zealand sport this year is set to make an impact in Wellington next month.

Teenage tennis player, Ajeet Rai will be one of an notable list of players lining up again for the Maxim Financial Wellington Open to be held December 19-22 at the Renouf Tennis Centre.

He’s had a remarkable rise in 2018 from no ATP world ranking to 694 in quick fashion.

For Rai who lives in New Plymouth but trains in Wellington it was a special year and will be topped off by returning to the capital to play an event he loves.

“It’s always good to play the Wellington Open. They do such a good job, so well organised and it’s great to play in front of my family and friends….it’s a rare thing to be able to do this. My dad gets to see me play as he travels with my but mum very rarely watches me on court,” say’s Rai. “It’s been an awesome year for me. It started in Uganda where I won my first points. My father grew up there. It was very humbling going there….and getting my career off to a great start with my first ATP points.”

Although Uganda may not be thought of as a hotbed of tennis, there are official International Tennis Federation (ITF) events in almost every nation of the world and sometimes it’s not just the on court performance which wins matches.

“There were a lot of good players at the tournaments. The number one seed was 300 in the world. I learnt a lot too…there’s a lot more to life than getting angry about tennis.”

Rai gained his first ranking point by winning through qualifying and then scoring a victory in his first round match. But one point only puts a player around 2200 in the world. In his next tournament he made the quarter-finals and second round the following week.

After the tournaments in Uganda there were tournaments in China, Indonesia, Korea followed by an unexpected call up to the court for Davis Cup against Korea.

Rai played doubles alongside Artem Sitak after Marcus Daniell was forced to withdraw injury and the pair scored a straight sets victory.

“I was orange boy last year and was really nervous when I got the call up to the court, but was supported by the players and coaches and it was a huge day for me. “

The best result of the year was winning the title at the Thailand ITF Futures event after fighting through three round of qualifying. In total he won eight singles matches to take away the trophy and also made the doubles final as well.

Rai also trained with former Wimbledon champ, now coach Pat Cash and American top 100 player, Coco Vandeweghe in the United States during the year which was one of his highlights.

The results are now starting to come more often for Rai who turns 20 in January and is pleased with his ranking peaking inside the top 700 in the world. Along with the results is the recognition. He was at Wellington airport recently when All Black Nehe Milner Skudder came up to him and congratulated him on his success…

“It was a buzz. He knew who I was …I played it pretty cool, but I’m really a bit of a fan boy.”

Any other fans who want to see a local tennis star on the rise can check out the Maxim Financial Wellington Open next month and watch Rai along with defending champ and New Zealand No.1 Rubin Statham, defending champ, Finn Tearney as well as top 100 ranked ATP doubles player Marcus Daniell along with top ranked New Zealand women, Paige Hourigan and Erin Routliffe along with plenty of other talent too.

The top seeds were victorious in the Wellington Tennis champs at the Renouf Tennis Centre with local player Finn Tearney continuing his good domestic form, while British pro, Suzy Larkin won the women’s title.

For Tearney, 27 And ranked just over 500 in the world it was a significant 6-3 6-3 victory in one hour 16 minutes over Auckland professional Rhett Purcell to go with his NZ Champs two weeks ago.

After a year of injuries Tearney was back to winning matches, looking fit and showing he could outlast his opponent as well.

“I’m happy to win in my home town and keep competing. He(Purcell) was hitting big. I know I’m going to have to weather the storm from him and he’s a good athlete. He’s playing well. I’m just happy to win matches and I’m now back to 100 per cent injury free,” said Tearney who had won the Wellington title two years running 2014-15 and was a finalist to Rubin Statham last year.

Tearney will now play in the exhibition tournament in Te Anau before the new year.

Top women’s seed Larkin, 25 who has a WTA ranking just over 700 won the women’s title over New Zealand Fed Cup player Paige Hourigan in straight sets 6-3 6-3 and also took away the women’s doubles for good measure where she combined with Auckland teen Holly Stewart to defeat Hourigan and Jo Carswell (Auckland) 3-6 6-2 10-7.

There was a surprise result in the men’s doubles final as Auckland’s Anton Bettink and Wellington teen, Finlay Hall defeated top seeds Marcus Daniell and Ajeet Rai (Taranaki) 6-3 4-6 11-9. At one stage Bettink and Hall won 16 straight points in the second set, although Daniell and Rai had a match point before giving away the point on questioned call and then losing the next three points in a row and the match.

The big names are ready to take the court as the Maxim Financial Wellington Tennis Open is set for its quarter-finals stages at the Renouf Tennis Centre in the Capital.

Two-time champ and top seed Finn Tearney who is in good form after winning the NZ Champs title recently will play  Lower Hutt teenager George Stoupe in his last eight contest after Stoupe, 16 won against a cramping Zach Whaanga by the bizarre scoreline of 0-6 6-4 7-5 in his third round match.

Fourth seed Ajeet Rai from Taranaki who has been playing on the ITF Junior circuit this year will play Anton Bettink from Auckland who was semifinalist at the NZ Champs, while Artem Sitak who is 55 in the world in doubles, but playing singles in Wellington could have a tough clash against KP Pannu the former Wellington player who is at Columbus State University and scoring good results.

Second seed Rhett Purcell from Auckland who has an ATP pro ranking  faces Wellington teen Issac Becroft the finalist at the national 18’s tournament in Auckland last week.

In the women’s draw it will be the first opportunity for Wellington to see Brit, Suzy Larkin who is ranked around 650 in the world and plays Auckland’s Holly Stewart who was part of the pairing which won the doubles title at the NZ Tennis Champs in Auckland.

Showing plenty of potential and determination to win her third round encounter was Marlborough 14-year-old Jade Otway who scored a marathon victory over Lower Hutt’s Tamara Anderson 7-6 in the third set. The reward for Otaway is a clash with Auckland pro and second seed Jo Carswell.

Paige Hourigan the Wanganui player who is at Georgia Tech in Atlanta in the United States is the second seed and will play Wellington’s Ivy McLean in the quarters after Mclean accounted for Taranaki’s Louise Waite.

The other women’s quarter has Elys Ventura the national junior champ from last week up against fourth seed Nina Paripovich who she beat for her junior title.

World No.37 doubles player Marcus Daniell is also in the tournament, but playing doubles only with Rai.

Quarter-finals start from 930am with semifinals in the afternoon. A full day of finals will be held indoors from 11am.

Results:

Men’s singles third round:

George Stoupe (Lower Hutt)bt (7) Zach Whaanga (Kapiti) 0-6 6-4 7-5, Anton Bettink (Auckland) bt Dominic Miller (Wellington) 6-3 6-2, KP Pannu (Wellington) bt Jin Dassanayake (Wellington) 6-1 6-0, Issac Becroft (Wellington) bt Macsem Sisam (Auckland) walkover, injury.

Women’s singles third round:

(7) Holly Stewart (Auckland)  bt Deshma Weerapperuma (North Harbour) 6-1 6-1, Ivy McLean (Wellington) bt (6) Louise Waite (Taranaki) 6-0 6-1, Jade Otway (Marlborough)  bt Tamara Anderson (Lower Hutt) 6-4 4-6 7-6(5), Elys Ventura (Nth Harbour) bt Amelia Lawson (Kapiti)  6-3 6-2 ,