JUNIOR US OPEN WINNER READY FOR CAIRNS TOURNAMENT
TEENAGER Blake Ellis lands in the Far North for the 2017 Cairns Tennis International at the Cairns International Tennis Centre in promising form.
Ellis, just 18 years of age, earned a wildcard in Cairns this week after enjoying firstround wins in both the Brisbane and Toowoomba Pro Tours recently.
He was an excellent junior player, winning the Australian Open Boys’ doubles in 2016, and is now settling into life on the senior world tour.
“I’ve been playing pretty well, I’ve beaten some good players in the first round of both tournaments, Brisbane and Toowoomba, and come up against two tough opponents in the next rounds,” Ellis said.
“Last year I played the Brisbane Pro Tour but unfortunately I wasn’t able to play any of the other Aussie Pro Tours due to injury, which I ended up having surgery for, so this year is my first proper go at the Pro Tours.
“I’m hoping to go one round further (in Cairns), if not two – I’d be really happy with that.
“I’m just going to take it one match at a time.”
Qualifying continues today, and the main draw commences tomorrow, with play starting from 10am each day.
The Cairns Tennis International is part of the Australian Pro Tour, a series of professional tennis events that bridge upcoming players with the ATP/WTA Tour, providing an opportunity for players to earn their first world ranking points.
Meanwhile, the women’s sign-in closed on Saturday evening with a total of 27 players signing in.