ACE RETURN
Geelong‘s Mataruga wins grasscourt title
LOCAL tennis star Ramona Mataruga on Saturday became the first Geelong player to win the women’s Victorian Grasscourt Championship in 10 years after a straight sets victory over Georgiana Ruhrig at Geelong Lawn Tennis Club.
Mataruga (right), who has previously claimed the Geelong Lawn Tennis Club championships on three occasions, won 6-3, 6-4 to knock over the top seed in just over an hour.
The tenacious 21-year-old was simply too strong through- out some heated baseline rallies but also showed her class around the court, particularly at the net and when returning Ruhrig’s serve.
She said winning the Victorian Grasscourt Championship was undoubtedly the biggest achievement of her tennis career.
“It’s very special because it’s such a big tournament and it’s grass, which I love, and I’ve been playing it since I was 16, so to finally win one, particularly on my home ground, is really special,” Mataruga said.
“It’s the best one I’ve won so far because it is such a big tournament and I grew up in Geelong so yeah, it’s my biggest (tournament win).”
Rain briefly delayed the final in the second set, during which Mataruga’s brutal forehand proved invaluable in the windy conditions, particularly when she said she felt the match was slipping from her hands.
“I had nothing to lose when I was 4-2 down because I was a bit tight and I just thought well just hit it and if they go in, they go in, and if they don’t it’s just bad luck,” she said.
“I just needed to stay in the match and not give her any free points. This was my third match today because I had to finish my quarter-final off from yesterday so it’s a long day, but it’s worth it.”
Mataruga became the first local to win the prestigious event since Matthew Hicks (2011) and the first woman since Alenka Hubacek in 2007.
The Deakin psychology student paid tribute to her coach, Clinton Snell, who was on hand to witness her stunning win with friends and teammates.
“My teammates were here and my coach was here, which was really good, they were very supportive so I was happy to have them here,” she said.
“We train a lot together and he (Snell) has put a lot of time into me so I’m very happy for both of us.
“Because I’m doing uni, I’m doing four to six hours training a day and then uni on top of that, so it’s a busy, busy schedule but I’m happy.”
GEELONG pair Adam Lasky and Ry Davies took out the men’s doubles final on Saturday at the Victorian Grasscourt Championships.
Lasky and Davies went through the tournament without dropping a set and prevailed 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the decider over the top seeds Josh Charlton and Jeremy Taylor Charlton.
Davies said it was a nice feeling to back up the efforts of singles champ Ramon Mataruga to give Geelong another trophy.
“We’ve played it a few years now and have made the semi-finals a couple of times, but it was pretty good to get the win this year,” Davies said.
“Ramona did really well and that was her first singles win so that was unreal that she got that one, and that we got the doubles, so that was good for Geelong.”
Davies and Lasky have taken a break from playing in the Tennis Geelong summer competition this season, but having spent so much time together previously, had no trouble picking up where they left off.
Lasky has become accustomed to the grass courts at Geelong Lawn Tennis Club since taking up a coaching role there and Davies said the duo adapted well to the change in playing conditions after rain interrupted play briefly earlier in the morning.
“The courts were good but the wind was hard,” he said.
“The guys we played were good players so it was a very solid match and everyone played well, it was just difficult conditions, but it felt like we all played pretty well.”
The duo will now aim to repeat their performance from the weekend at upcoming regional tournaments.
“Adam and I have been playing together for years and I coached him for years as well, so I guess we just know each other’s games and that helps a lot. We know what each other is doing, so that is a big help,” Davies said.
“I’ll play a couple of local grasscourt tournaments on Labour Day in Warrnambool and in Shepparton at Easter, and Adam will be playing both of those as well.”