Above: Springvale North’s Trent Cobb prepares to unload on a booming serve during his win over Upper Beaconsfield’s Paul Osborne on Saturday.By Paul Pickering
SPRINGVALE North effected an improbable victory over ladder leader Upper Beaconsfield in Tennis Victoria Pennant Grade One on Saturday.
Depleted by injuries to key contributors, Springvale North’s four available starters rallied together in a spirited home-court display.
With Springy playing-coach Stephen Sruk stepping in for his first singles rubber of the season, the visitors elected to challenge him first-up against their unbeaten singles star Rodney Wilson.
The tactic backfired though, as Sruk dug deep to battle out a crucial straight sets win (6-2 6-3) and seize the momentum for his charges.
In the second rubber, Springvale North’s Zoran Josic drove home the advantage with a consummate performance against Mark Stevens, closing it out 6-3 6-4.
But the visitors returned fire in the third match, with Scott McKenzie scraping past a gallant Zelko Lovric (6-4 6-4) to keep the tie alive and set up a dramatic decider.
Trent Cobb, who assumed the number one singles spot in the absence of Stephen Fotakis (knee), entered the final rubber needing to take one set from Upper Beaconsfield frontman Paul Osborne to secure the tie.
Displaying maturity beyond his years, the heavy-hitting teenager claimed the first set 6-4, before recovering from a 0-3 deficit to win the second 7-5.
According to Sruk, the powerful lefty was simply too much for his seasoned opponent to handle.
“His weapons were just too strong for Ossie on the big moments of the match,” Sruk reflected.
“(Osborne) used a lot of his experience in the first set and didn’t give him much pace, so for Trent to hang in there and get the job done was a great effort.”
With the Fotakis brothers and young gun Henryk Pawlukowski still to return from injury, fourth-placed Springvale North will be looking to pull off another upset when it travels to Geelong to meet Hepner Place Indoor – now in top spot – for a doubles tie this Saturday.
