Tennis Round 1 vs Barker

It was a wonderous vision, to see students from opposing schools, back on the court in a competitive fixture last Saturday. The Trinity Tennis Centre looked a spectacle, being at full capacity with players from both the Preparatory and Senior schools competing.

The 1st and 2nd IV teams competed early in the day against Barker College and, as usual, it was a close and tough battle. In the 1st IV fixture, as is custom the doubles was played first and on conclusion the score was locked at two sets all. Our first pairing, comprising Max Nguyen (12 Yo) and Spyridon Konidaris (12Sc), came up against a very strong Barker couple, losing both sets contested. However, there were many extremely positive passages of play from the Trinitarians whose major weakness on the day was their lack of previous court time, playing together as a pairing. I am sure with the passage of time they will become the complete package. On the adjacent court our second pairing of Dylan Guler (12WH) and Finn Taylor (10La) combined effortlessly, competing in a league of their own against their shell-shocked opponents. After winning the first set 6-1, the combination lost focus at the beginning of the second set, before staging an exhilarating comeback in the later stages to triumph 7-5. There were a couple of really good singles performances, with the highlight being Finn’s come from behind win after being 5-1 down. After much friendly banter with his opponent, Spyridon played well in his singles, but had to be content with a 4-all draw, as the set was abandoned due to rain. The final result on the day was a close 3.5 to 4.5 loss to our students.

Likewise, in the 2nd IV fixture the sets were locked at two apiece on conclusion of the doubles. Domenic Furfaro (10Ar) and Mitchell Reid-Queeney (10Ar) played beautifully, winning 6-4, 6-3. Our other pairing of James Kim (11AR) and Max Knauer (11Ho) played well but unfortunately couldn’t close a handful of important points to take victory in either set. Where Barker exhibited their superiority was in the singles where they won all matches with relative ease. The only exception was the incomplete first singles match, where Trinity player James Kim had his nose in front when the heavens opened. The final score was a 2.5 to 5.5 loss to Trinity.

I am sure all students are looking forward in anticipation to tomorrow’s fixture against St Aloysius’ at Tennis Cove.

J. Dykgraaff | MIC Tennis

3rd and 4th IV Report

Both 3rds combinations played some handsome shots in their doubles matches, but neither pair was able to sustain the standard or match the consistency of their opponents. This trend continued in the singles for the No.1 team, but our No.2 combination of Nick Papadopoulos (12He) and Ben Kwan (11He) fared otherwise. While Ben’s elegant game could not quite get the job done, his 5-7 loss showed he will be no pushover in the rounds ahead. Nick, on the other hand, played with tremendous focus and welcome consistency, particularly off the forehand – no surprise there! –  to triumph 6-0.

The 4ths benefitted from a two sets forfeit, but once more, the only doubles contest proved to be a problem for Trinity. Fortunately, both James Perkin (12Yo) and Solomon Khoury (12Ar) played much better in their singles matches, and while Solomon lost 4-6, James played with commendable determination to win 6-4. Also very pleasing was Julian Chin’s (11He) 6-2 singles win at No.3. The 4-2 forfeit-based score flatters Trinity a little, but the four “live” contests were shared, and that is reason for some satisfaction.

Ashley Lucas | Coach

10A and B REPORT

It was a rough day at the Barker courts for our Year 10 A team. Despite a hard-fought battle, they were unable to gather a win for the team. Aiden Kuoch (10La) and Charles Allison (10St) were the only boys who were able to take games off the formidable Barker team in the singles matches, managing to gather one and two games respectively. Unfortunately, even though Harry and Jack put up a good effort in their fight against what seemed to be an unbeatable enemy, they were unable to take a game off their opponents, who seemed to have an impenetrable defence and would simply belt back any ball which was hit to them. Overall, a strong showing from Barker which showed there was a lot to be learnt by our Trinity boys.

In the face of an imposing opposition, the 10Bs managed to scrape a few games off their opponents and the form of victory in one set. Lucas Blum emerged the only victor of the 10Bs, winning his match in a close 6-4. Alex Nero (10Ta), Dylan Ritchley (10H0) and Nicholas Musemeci (10Ke) all put up a valiant effort but were all ultimately defeated 6 games to 1. It was a good showing from Barker that our Trinity boys were unable to contest.

Sunny Tang | Coach

10C REPORT

The 10Cs were also defeated by a large margin at the hands of Barker. Ultimately, we suffered defeat, but Elliot Vilner (10Mu) put up a great battle in his match, winning it closely by 6-4. Ellie Charbel (10Du) put up a good showing but unfortunately his opponent’s defensive backhand proved too much for him to handle. Likewise, Bryan Yu (10Ta) and Jatan Singh (10Mu) also suffered a defeat at the hands of the dominating Barker offence and were unable to pull off a victory.

Sunny Tang | Coach

9A and B Report

The 9As and 9Bs performed admirably against challenging opponents. Despite both teams losing, there were some positive aspects to be taken out of the matches. Special mention must go to Christopher Lowe (9HO) in the 9As who defeated his opponent 7-5 in the singles. This is a reflection of his hard work during training sessions to constantly improve. Additionally, Fouad Deiri (9Sc) performed at a very high level and won his singles match 7-5. He showed great composure to hold his serve in a tight back and forth match and deserved the win. Overall, the As and Bs should be proud of their efforts against a tough Barker team and I look forward to next week.

David Lambropoulos

9C and D Report

It was a very difficult weekend for the 9Cs and 9Ds. Despite being outplayed in challenging conditions, the 9Cs hung on in and continued to play their best until the last point. Special mention to Waylon Liu (9Yo) in the 9Cs, who had some very long and draining rallies against a very talented player from Barker. He hit some amazing forehand winner and unfortunately couldn’t remain consistent enough to come away with the win. Unfortunately, in the 9Ds, we were unable to play some matches as the opposition had some players missing. In the games that were played, we were thoroughly overmatched. That being said, both Luc Brown (9La) and Solomon Hindle (9WJ) gave it their all from the first point to the last in very testing conditions. It shows great character to continue to stay strong in adversity. Overall, the 9Cs and 9Ds should be proud of how they handled themselves against a tough Barker team. They showed great character, and this will bode well for them in the future.

David Lambropoulos

8D and 10D Report

Following a mini-road trip to Asquith to play against Barker College, the 8 and 10 D teams were ready to take to the court, albeit with some nerves. Alexander Hales (8Ar) and Bailin Ashcroft (8Fo) joined forces to star in a doubles match that lasted almost one hour, warming up to the play with growing confidence and collaboration to reach a thrilling tiebreak. After a shaky start that saw the score blow out to 5-0 Barker’s way, the boys were able to capitulate on the subsequent opportunities that arose and held their nerve to take the win 7-6. Across from them, Ethan Hudson (10Du) and James Chan (10Yo) were also playing an entertaining match that consisted of the longest game of the day – almost 15 minutes! For two players that are new to competitive tennis, they played with effort and focus, only narrowly missing out on the win going down 7-5.
The singles matches showcased the Trinity players’ developing skill and a determination to play each point. Aston Tran (8WH) won a gripping match (6- 3) that moved from being a game of deuces to a contest of grunts as both players showcased powerful baseline prowess. Alson Zhou (10Hi) faced a more experienced player in his singles match but improved over the course of the set by hitting with greater ease and finding a way to return his opponent’s formidable serve. Following on from their doubles duel, both Ethan and James remained competitive in their singles matches. Ethan went down 6-4 in a tightly contested match, while James struggled against his opponent’s attacking form. Both players remained proactive in their matches and exhibited excellent sportsmanship. Unfortunately, rain hampered the efforts of Alex and Bailin in their singles matches; however, they admirably remained committed to their respective games through some difficult weather conditions.

Overall, it was a great afternoon of tennis that allowed the boys to gain court experience and develop confidence in their game. Moving forward, the squad will focus on improving their service motion and movement around the court. A big thank you to all the families who helped support the students today!

Claudia Tessadri | Coach

7A and 7B Report

Last weekend’s inclement weather could not dampen the spirits of the eight Year 7 Tennis players who had been selected to represent the School in the A and B teams Saturday last. The players were eager to take to the court and desperate to see how they would fare against Barker college in their first round of the CAS competition.

As usual, the day’s play kicked off with the Doubles matches. In the A team, Nathan Della Torre (7Yo) paired with Marcus Kuit (7Ho) and Ryan Qin (7Yo) with Lucas Davies (7Ta). In the B team, Thomas Joannou (7Du) played with Lucas Preston (7WH) and Orlando Ang (7WJ) teamed up with Sebastian Musumeci (7Ke). The Trinity teams came up against experienced and technically sound Barker pairings and were able to enjoy some tight competition before heavy rain disrupted the fixture resulting in a draw. The Trinity players exhibited fine sportsmanship during the match, welcoming their opponents, clearly calling the score and “playing two” when necessary. They also displayed good skill and in particular, some impressive serving and volleying. However, we will need to work a little on our ground-stroke rallying and choice of shot selection. Consistency and knowing which shot to play when are the hallmarks of successful tennis. In addition, we will need to remember our quick footwork, early racquet preparation and clear on court communication as we prepare for another challenging fixture tomorrow.

Congratulations to all players for an impressive first outing.

Jessica Spratt

Coach 7A / 7B