Westside off to a flying start (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

Westside off to a flying start

10:21am Wednesday 6th April 2011 in Tennis News

Westside LTC got off to a flying start with their men's and ladies' first teams chalking up a double success on the opening day of the new AEGON National League season on Sunday.

Both teams, playing in the South East South Division, began their bids for promotion to the top National Tier with victories.

The men, away to Park Langley, emerged from a deciding shoot-out with a 7-6 victory while the ladies achieved a convincing 10-2 win in their home local derby against Wimbledon.

Westside No 1 Marek Karas was the only one of their four men to win his singles but the team rallied to win both doubles rubbers, forcing the match to a champions tie-break shoot-out.

In the deciders, Karas beat Farhad Tadayon 12-10 and Richard Mayers avenged his earlier straight sets defeat by Francis Sergeant, winning 10-3, to secure victory.

Their wins spared Thomson and Conroy the ordeal of playing a tense final doubles rubber to settle the issue.

Results (Westside names first): Singles - Marek Karas bt Alastair Filmer 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, Gary Thomson lost to Farhad Tadayon 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, Richard Mayers lost to Francis Sargeant 1-6, 3-6, Rob Conroy lost to Robbie Mathieson 1-6, 2-6. Doubles - Karas and Mayers bt Filmer and Tadayon 7-6, 4-6, Thomson and Conroy bt Sargeant and Mathieson 6-3, 5-7, 12-10.Shoot-out - Karas bt Tadayon 12-10, Mayers bt Sergeant 10-3.

Westside ladies won all four singles, through Laura Peterzan, Stephanie Davis, Alison Taylor and Alex Joy, with Taylor and Joy also winning their doubles.

The only reverse for Westside came in the other doubles where Peterzan and Davis lost to Wimbledon's Isabelle Gemmel and Deana Nelson-Smith over three sets.

Results (Wimbledon names first): Singles - Laura Peterzan bt Isabelle Gemmel 6-3, 6-0, Stephanie Davis bt Deana Nelson-Smith 6-3, 6-4, Alison Taylor bt Georgie McPhail 6-1, 6-1, Alex Joy bt Sharon Sykes 6-0, 6-1. Doubles - Peterzan and Davis lost to Gemmel and Nelson-Smith 6-2, 2-6, 3-10, Taylor and Joy bt McPhail and Sykes 6-1, 6-0.