Tennis: Ou, Stevenson players of the year

Paddy Ou and Jessie Stevenson have been named Otago tennis players of the year while most improved awards have gone to Carlos Reid and Meg Timu.

Ou was runner up in the Otago Indoor to Daiki Naka, of Canterbury, and won the third and fourth place play off in the Otago Open.

He played No 1 for Otago in Dunedin and held off the strong challenge of Reid in several meetings. He led his school, John McGlashan, to the South Island title and national semifinals.

Stevenson played behind Georgia Hume for Otago, but gained the award through taking chances when Hume was injured.

Stevenson won the Otago Indoor, was runner up in the Otago Open, had a strong record at the junior nationals.

She also won important rubbers for the Otago senior team, as well as leading St Hilda's to third place in the South Island.

Reid went up nearly 200 ranking points more than his nearest rival, and was an obvious choice for the award.

After losing ten months due to illness and injury in the previous season, Reid's best days came at the junior nationals when, seeded 13th, he put out the top seed and beat two others seeded above him before losing to the eventual winner, then claiming the third place play-off.

He had an impressive record for his school as backup to Ou.

Timu, the youngest of the teenage winners, also plays for St Hilda's and went up 365 ranking points in the season.

She began to beat senior players as the season unfolded, most notably Rosanne Warmerdam, the Dutch visitor who had beaten higher ranked players.

Timu began her career in Wanaka but has shifted to Dunedin and is having an impact as a fine all-round athlete.