Tennis: Hawke's Bay champion Olivia Addis eyes Asian Tour

Olivia Addis plays a backhand return during her 6-1, 6-0 win against Alex Cave in Sunday's final. Photo / Ian Cooper

New Hawke's Bay Residentials women's singles tennis champion Olivia Addis is eyeing a stint on the Asian Tour later this year.

"I realise there are opportunities there and if I can go over there when my university studies for the year are finished in November that experience will help me when I enter my next ITF tournament," Addis explained.

Havelock North's Addis, who returned to tennis this summer after a six-year absence, entered her first International Tennis Federation tournament in Hamilton last month. She was beaten 6-1, 6-1 by an Australian opponent Catherine Aulia.

"I didn't qualify for the main draw but it was exciting," right-hander Addis said.

The 21-year-old displayed the benefits of that experience when she dominated the weekend's residentials at the Hawke's Bay Lawn club. Addis beat defending champion Alex Cave of the Greendale club 6-1, 6-0 in the final after beating Havelock North's Sophie Ward 6-0, 6-0 in the semifinals.

Cave and Ward are both Tennis Eastern under-16 representatives. In her quarter-final Addis beat Greendale's Tennis Eastern under-14 representative Mansi Giri 6-0, 6-3.

Giri is in her first year out of primary school and Addis said she is going to be a "little ripper" of a player when she is older.

A former representative cricketer, netballer and volleyballer, Addis, is in her fourth year of a five-year law and commerce degree in which she is majoring in economics and finance in Wellington.

"I need to establish myself in Wellington so I can get regular hard matchplay down there. I need to keep training hard so I get faster, stronger and fitter," Addis said.

Addis took up tennis as a 5-year-old and is a product of then Havelock North club coach and 1993 senior club champion Bob Christensen's Pee Wee Tennis Programme. As an 11-year-old in 2010, Addis beat club stalwart Jan Day in their club's open women's singles championship final.

The following year, Addis finished fourth in the national under-12 singles. Before calling it quits to focus on other sports, the former Havelock North High School student won several age group singles titles in the annual Hawke's Bay Junior Open tournament.

Her return to tennis was a key factor in the Hawke's Bay senior team's convincing 21-3 victories against Taranaki and Whanganui this summer as they retained the Christie Cup which is the symbol of Central Districts tennis supremacy.

Left-hander Cave beat her Greendale clubmate Roisin Dinan 6-2, 6-1 in her semifinal.

Tennis Eastern's development officer Sean Davies said Addis is a perfect example to teenagers who drop out of tennis of what can be achieved if they decide to make a comeback.

"Olivia realised how much she missed it and has been such a positive influence since her return. She has been phenomenal with the younger girls and it's great to have her back."

"The likes of Alex [Cave] and Sophie [Ward] who also had Christie Cup play this season now have somebody to chase and try and close the gap on," Davies added.

The Hawke's Bay Residentials men's reserve grade final was also played on Sunday and it saw Hawke's Bay Lawn's Wayne Hudson beat Greendale's Tom McIvor 6-0, 4-6, 10-4.