Tennis: Reynolds brothers make history

Finn Reynolds

Hawke's Bay's Reynolds brothers, Rob and Finn, are no strangers to creating firsts at national level.

Now the two, who have won national age-group titles in the same season on two occasions, have become the first Hawke's Bay players to reach the semifinals of an international tournament at the same time. They will be in action when the semifinals of the Auckland International Tennis Federation 18 and under indoor champs are played today.

Yesterday 18-year-old Rob beat Auckland 15-year-old Macsen Sisam 6-1, 6-4 in his quarter-final.

Sisam is one of Tennis New Zealand's three elite targeted athletes and has recently returned from extended training on the red clay courts of Europe.

"I'm really pleased with the positive tennis I am playing at the moment. This was a good win for me today but now I need to focus on tomorrow where I come up against top seed Shao-Min Ko from Chinese Taipei. I'll have to play my best tennis to win," Rob said last night.

Fifteen-year-old Finn beat Aussie Campbell Salmon 6-2, 6-4 in his quarter-final at the Scarbro Tennis Centre in Glen Innes.

Another TNZ targeted athlete, Finn, who established a 5-0 lead in the first set, displayed the benefits of his recent playing and training stint in Europe.

Finn will play top Canterbury junior Connor Heap in his semifinal of the tournament which attracted players from Japan, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei with the aim of providing New Zealand's juniors with world-class contest. Heap eliminated second seed Ajeet Rai of Taranaki in his quarter-final.

Although still juniors, Rob and Finn, who play out of the Hawke's Bay Lawn club, are ranked first and second respectively on the Hawke's Bay senior rankings.

The annual Hawke's Bay Veterans Open tournament will be played this weekend. Men's and women's doubles matches will be played at the Greendale and Hawke's Bay Lawn clubs today and mixed doubles at the Hawke's Bay Lawn and Nelson Park clubs tomorrow.

Greendale's Russell Broughton and Damon Curtis are the top seeds in the men's doubles.

Rotorua's Wendy Wrigley and Kapi Mana's Kerry Noble are seeded to meet Hawke's Bay's Carole Rowsell and Kapi Mana's Maretta Randall in the women's doubles final.

Broughton and Wanganui's Karen Cranston are tipped to retain their mixed doubles title.

Their toughest competition is expected to come from Wrigley and Western Bay of Plenty's Quentin Maisey. The tournament has attracted players from across the North Island.