TOWNSVILLE DUO READY TO MAKE OPEN HISTORY
WITH a prestigious history of winners to live up to, Daniel Swords has declared he has two guns under his tutelage who are in line to enter Townsville tennis folklore.
Ethan Rand and Aleks Ivanov are both deep into preparations for the return of the North Queensland Open, the biggest competition in the region set to bring the state’s best together. Past winners include the likes of international tour players JP Smith and Lizette Cabrera, as well as longtime head coach Wayne Hannah. Since Swords has taken the head coaching reins of Townsville Tennis he has seen plenty of senior and junior talent take significant strides in their development. And he believes the likes of Rand and Ivanov have what it takes to claim victory.
“They’ve been on the tournament scene for some time and have come close in some smaller events,” Swords said.
“Yes they’re young but they’re gaining more and more experience all the time. They’ve proven themselves in the past and on any given anything can happen.”
Registrations for the Open end at 11.59pm today, with 111 competitors already signed up across junior and open ranks.
While Covid-19 restrictions have prevented interstate rivals from competing, players from regions such as Brisbane and Cairns are already on board. In an exciting move for the juniors, the event will be ‘gold’ classed, meaning emerging stars are able to gain nearly the maximum ranking points on offer in Australia.
Swords said this change would open the floodgates for Townsville’s brightest young talent to further their fledging careers and impress state and national level judges.
He said the young stars of tomorrow were currently taking part in the Northern Swing series – taking on tournaments in Sarina, Rockhampton and Home Hill – to fine tune their skills ahead of the Open.