Edward Batt (Canterbury) and Mackenzie Phillips (North Otago) are the Otago Open tennis singles champions for the 2017-18 season.
Batt beat Mitchell Sizemore (Otago) 7-5, 6-4 and Phillips (15) beat Rileigh Fields (Otago) 6-1, 7-5 in the finals.
In the men's final, Sizemore's superiority in power was matched by Batt's better consistency at the end of each set.
After two early service holds and then two breaks, Batt held serve after several deuces, but at 6-5, and down 0-40, Sizemore saved triple set point only to double-fault twice and hand Batt the set 7-5.
At 2-3 down in the second set there were 11 deuces but Sizemore held on to level. However, he could not do so again when in trouble at 4-5.
The men's semifinals, also played yesterday, found Sizemore at his devastating best, attacking throughout to beat Thomas Hartono 6-2, 6-2. Hartono could only play as well as he was allowed.
Ryan Eggers used the angles and changed up the pace to trouble Batt and was able to win many of the longer rallies, but he too, fell in a close 6-4, 6-3 result.
The women's singles final featured two baseliners battling it out but only one of them, Phillips, was consistent enough, especially in the first set where Fields quickly fell behind 0-3.
In the second set, Fields was more attacking early and they traded games until 3-all. Phillips went up 5-3 and had a match point, followed by triple match point at 5-4, but when Fields double-faulted for Phillips to go up match point again, this time there was no mistake.
The men's doubles final featured a reunion of the John McGlashan College team that made the secondary schools national semifinals three years ago.
Sizemore and Carlos Reid won 6-2, 6-4, their quick switches at net proving too much for Thomas and Peter Hartono in the first set.
After a closer second set, Thomas Hartono dropped serve to love at 4-all and Sizemore served it out.
In the women's doubles final, former national junior champion Gabrielle Grady (South Canterbury) partnered Phillips to beat Fields and Eliza Booth 6-1, 6-3.
The mixed doubles went to Steven Dries and Grady 6-2, 6-2 against Fraser Richardson and Ali Copeman.
