* Under 24/Under 21 British Open - (Dedanists) 2022

Match Report by Will Burns

The British Open U21/U24 championships were once again held at Middlesex University Real Tennis Club. We had a superb tournament with many notable performances from the new generation! Players came from a variety of clubs with handicaps ranging from 11 through to 40.

In the U21s Final, we had the match of the tournament between defending champion Will Flynn and U18 world champion Trueman. Both players got off to a confident start but it was Will who managed to slowly develop a lead and seal the first set 6/2. Trueman elevated his game considerably in the second set and started playing with consistent power and accuracy, for the first time in the tournament Will seemed off balance as he started making
errors. Trueman took advantage and closed out the second set 6/3. The decider was an exciting affair with both players playing their best tennis and sharing games as they battled to 3 all. It was here that Will managed to regain control of the match by slowing the tempo down and making better decisions, he now had the momentum taking the last set 6/3 and defending his U21 crown. Congratulations to both players on a fantastic display of tennis!

The U24s final saw Will Flynn in his second final of the day do battle against the surprise package of the tournament Alex Dyter representing Jesmond Dene. Alex had produced some fine tennis in his previous matches and had a good victory under his belt taking out Benedict Yorston in the group stage. However, he was not allowed to reproduce this form again as Will was in dominant mood dictating most of the points and hitting targets continuously throughout the match. Will winning and defending his U24 title 6/1 6/0. In the U24s doubles final Will Flynn and Trueman retained their title defeating Vaughan Hamilton and Benedict Yorston through a walkover win, unfortunately both Vaughan and Benedict picked up injuries which meant neither of them could play.

Many congratulations to Will Flynn for retaining his U21s and U24s crowns, a feat that is not easy to achieve! And also to the Hayling Island pair for retaining their doubles title. A huge thank you to the T&RA for sponsoring the event and to the Dedanists Foundation who provided accommodation and food and drink for the players throughout the tournament. We could not have done it without you!

Livestreams of the Matches:

Thursday 15th - U24 Doubles (Group Stage & Semi Finals): https://youtu.be/O9iQ1o41mfE

Friday 16th - U24 Singles (Group Stage): https://youtu.be/h-RKa7w6pm4

Saturday 17th - U21 Singles (Group Stage): https://youtu.be/uqiNqEacoQg

Saturday 17th - U21/U24 Singles (Semi Finals): https://youtu.be/zCuKKy_Sq_g

Sunday 18th - U21 Singles Final: https://youtu.be/NJ82BPwZ4y4

Sunday 18th - U24 Singles Final: https://youtu.be/YzMYLI4s5mo