It was a classic matchup in many senses the youngster with stamina and power, against the veteran with temperament and guile.
And while Paige Hourigan's play was not as scintillating as she wanted to put on for the loyal supporters who paid to see her in Saturday's benefit match, it did mean they were treated to a genuine and exciting contest at the Basset St courts.
Former New Zealand-ranked No 3 and Federation Cup veteran Tracey O'Connor knew how to play the percentages and lower her error rate, forcing the 16-year-old Hourigan to work hard for her straight sets victory in front of a large crowd at the Wanganui Tennis Courts, 6-3 7-6 (8-6 tiebreak). After some miss-hits and double-faults, the teenager came back from two games down to claim the first set on the back of some strong winners.
Feeling the heat, she appeared more relaxed by the second set with a 5-3 advantage, but some tired shots and strong play from O'Connor saw a three game turnaround to 5-6. Chastising herself, Hourigan redoubled her efforts, looking the more likely of the two to slam home an ace or put a power shot out of reach.
Initially struggling to finish off several of O'Connor's high lobbed returns, she began connecting better as they moved into a tiebreak game, finally springing clear to smoke one away from the veteran for the hometown victory.
Played in excellent spirit with a festive atmosphere, there was time for some fun exchanges - such as O'Connor's request that "sudden death would be better than all the running around" in the middle of an extremely long second game where advantage and deuce swung many times.
The veteran getting audience confirmation that one Hourigan volley had in fact dropped over the back court line earned them a bemused rebuke from the local girl "whose side are you on?"
Hourigan played some of her best tennis in the sixth and eighth games of the first set, where she found the accuracy to complement her power and chased hard to save several improbable shots in the middle of a great rally. Likewise, after some harsh self criticism, she was back to her best to force the tiebreak in the second set on the back of some strong serving.
At the conclusion, Hourigan said her matchups with O'Connor continue to be long affairs. "She's always a tough competitor that gets the ball back over the net."
It was impressive that her energy levels stayed up after playing in Auckland that morning, helping her St Kentigern College with two wins over Westlake Girls High School. After the disappointment of recent losses in ITF tournaments in Asia, a win over a quality opponent in front of the hometown faithful was a welcome tonic.
"It's always nice to have such lovely people around me, supporting me, and it definitely boosted that confidence," Hourigan said.
For O'Connor, she was glad to be part of the event, knowing first-hand the tough international road her opponent has ahead in her career: "Just to be out on court these days is a bonus.
"All the best to Paige, I've been there and done that and I wouldn't want to go back."