Lisa D’Amelio had a great result in the recent Victorian Grasscourt Championships, netting the runners-up trophy after a tense battle with teenager Alenka Hubacek. Picture: Stewart Chambers.By Amy Taylor
KEYSBOROUGH tennis ace Lisa D’Amelio showed her talent in the final of the recent Victorian Grasscourt Championships last month.
She finished runner-up to teenage prospect Alenka Hubacek in a thrilling third set tiebreak at Geelong Lawn Tennis Club. The district was well represented in the tournament, with seven and nine competitors in the men’s and women’s open draws respectively.
D’Amelio (number two seed), Cranbourne’s Chloe West (three) and Devon Meadows’ Ashleigh Hancock (16) led the charge in the women’s singles.
Aged 26, D’Amelio defeated West, 19, in the Mansfield Open final in mid-December and after being drawn in the same half and winning their early contests they looked set for a rematch in the semi-finals.
However, it was not to be with West upset 7-5 6-2 in the quarter-finals by fifth seed Jo-Anne Karaitiana.
Former world number 363 D’Amelio also had a tough time with Karaitiana before triumphing 3-6 6-4 6-2 to move into the final, where she met 17-year-old Australian Institute of Sport’s Hubacek.
D’Amelio was blown away in the opening set, but her style change helped her lock the match at a set apiece to set up a dramatic finish, but she ultimately lost in a thrilling third set tie-break, 6-0 4-6 7-6.
Halfway through 2007, D’Amelio left the professional tour taking a step back to join the local tournaments to pursue her teaching career and is now based at Noble Park Secondary College.
“There’s a lot more on the line on the professional tour. The local tournaments suit me. I prefer it now, there’s much less stress,” she said.
Lisa is currently exploring a different path in her tennis career, recently being appointed head coach at Noble Park Tennis Club with her main aim to ‘get some kids playing tennis – that’s the biggest challenge.’
Competing later this week in the Boorandara Tennis Tournament for her pennant club Kooyong, D’Amelio intends to continue her career, if only for the ‘health and fitness’ side of things.
In other news, Endeavour Hills’ tennis sensation Jay Salter won the final in the men’s singles.
Endeavour Hills’ Jay Salter (number-four seed), North Dandenong’s Marinko Matosevic (one), and Clayton South’s Anthony Di Domenico (15) were rated the region’s best chances in the men’s singles event.
Salter dumped Matosevic in straight sets – 7-6 6-4 – to proceed to the final, where he met 12th seed and doubles finalist Adam Hubble to come away with a 6-7 6-4 7-6 result to cap off an excellent year on the court.
Salter not only won the Victorian State Championships, but was also named State Grade Pennant Player of the Year 2007 and Victorian Silver Points Circuit Winner.
