Jasmin Wong won her second title of the weekend and Jamie Liu claimed a double as the U11-U14 Nationals came to a pulsating conclusion today.
Ruby Chan was the other title-winner, taking the under-11 girls’ singles.
An appreciative crowd saw two high-quality finals as Liu got the better of Amir Hussain and Wong defeated Ruby Chan.
Under-12 Girls
With the Under-13 crown in the bank yesterday, Wong started the Under-12s as top seed.
But while she had to dig deep at times yesterday, notably when overcoming top seed Charlotte Bardsley 3-2 in the semi-finals, her progress to title No 2 was relatively untroubled.
She did have to come from behind in the quarter-finals, however, beating Patricia Ianau 3-1 (10-12, 11-5, 13-11, 11-7).
The other quarter-finals saw Chan defeat Gemma Kerr 3-1 (11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9), Nicole Scott overcome Isabella Hudson in four (11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9) and Darcie Proud bet Sophie Chiang 3-0 (11-5, 11-3, 11-1).
In the last four, both matches were done in three, with Chan beating second seed Scott (11-5, 15-13, 11-6) and Wong defeating Proud (11-4, 11-2, 11-7).
The final went true to seeding as Wong eased to a 3-0 victory over the third-ranked Chan.
Wong said: “I’m quite excited about the under-13 one because I didn’t expect I would win it. I thought maybe I would win one trophy.
“I did pretty well yesterday and when I beat Sophie Barlow (second seed in the under-14s) I got more confidence.”
Under-12 Boys
Jamie Liu saved two match points in the semi-finals as he won both that match and the final in five sets to lift his first national title.
The last-four tie against Josh Weatherby enthralled the crowd, who reacted warmly to both players’ excellence.
Having taken the first two sets, Liu appeared on course to book a final place in routine fashion, as Weatherby appeared to struggle with his emotions. If that was the case, it didn’t show in the next two as Weatherby stormed back, out-hitting Liu and saving a match point in the fourth.
He built an early lead in the fifth as well but Liu chipped away at it, getting some momentum so that, when Weatherby went 10-8 up, he was still able to bulldoze his way through the next four points.
The final was no less exhilarating. Twice Hussain took the lead and twice Liu levelled, reeling off three points from 9-8 down in the fourth.
The decider was tight all the way and Hussain levelled at 9-9 with the help of a net cord. Liu moved ahead again, saw his first match point saved but made no mistake with the next.
The other semi-final saw Hussain come out on top in four against Freddie Osenton-Brown.
In the quarters, the standout match was Hussain’s tie with Chamika Weerasinghe, won 3-2 by the former (10-12, 11-3, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4).
Liu beat Ben Fillingham 3-1 (11-6, 6-11, 11-5, 11-4), Osenton-Brown defeated Will McCarthy 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11) and Weatherby was was victorious against Louis Moyes in three (11-8, 11-9, 12-10).
Under-11 Girls
Ruby Chan was the dominant performer as she claimed the title, barely skipping a beat on the way.
It was 3-0 all the way in the groups and the knockout stage, culminating in an 11-8, 11-4, 11-5 win over nine-year-old third seed Sophie Chiang in the final.
Chiang had also enjoyed a spotless route through the knockouts. The semi-finals saw her beat Scarlett O’Neil, while Chan defeated Sophie Rinnhofer.
In the quarters, Chan’s victim was Erin Green (11-2, 11-4, 11-0), while Chiang’s was Jasmine Williams (11-9, 11-4, 11-7). Rinnhofer made the last four by overcoming Isabel Webb 3-0 (11-5, 11-3, 12-10), while O’Neil ended the interest of Alana Mansfield 3-1 (12-10, 11-6, 10-12, 11-4).
The champion said: “I’m really proud and pleased with myself. I just wanted to fight to the last point in all my matches.
“I did all right against Jasmine Wong in the under-12 final but I beat Nicole Scott (in the semi-finals), which is a seed higher than me, so I was quite surprised by that.”
Chiang, from Ilford, was also delighted. She said: “I feel really happy. Ruby is really good and I know I won’t beat her, but I tried my best and I achieved my target.”
Under-11 Boys
Jamie Liu doubled up on the day as he defeated fifth seed Rhys Davies in the final.
Liu was the class act in the field and proved it as he proved too strong for all opponents.
The 3-0 margin in the final (11-9, 11-2, 11-4) mirrored his semi-final victory over Thomas Rayner (12-10, 11-6, 11-9) and his last-eight triumph against Nathan Birch (11-2, 11-2, 11-6).
Davies conquered Cornwall’s Dylan Tynan in the other semi-final by a 3-1 margin (11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-8) and sunk Luke Manning 3-0 in the quarters (11-4, 11-6, 11-8).
The other quarter-finals saw sixth seed Tynan upset No 3 Louis Price 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-6), while Rayner scored a fine 3-2 comeback win over four seed Harry Boston (7-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-4).
The champion was thrilled with his day’s work. He said: “I’m really relieved. I didn’t really expect to win the under-12s as well because it’s a real hard challenge.
“I was down in most of my matches and I just had to keep fighting and not give up, especially when Josh Weatherby had match points against me – I had to focus. I was becoming a little worried when Josh got the two sets back against me.
“On the first day, I wasn’t playing the best I could. I didn’t have a good start and I wasn’t ready to play Will Ibbitson (who beat him in the quarter-finals) at my best.”
Southport player Davies said: “I thought I’d just get to the quarter-finals, so I’m really, really happy.
“I got my spin going which helped me to play well but Jamie’s really good. I hope I can beat him one day.”
Results
Under-12 Girls’ Singles
Semi-finals
Ruby Chan bt Nicole Scott 3-0 (11-5, 15-13, 11-6)
Jasmin Wong bt Darcie Proud 3-0 (11-4, 11-2, 11-7)
Final
Wong bt Chan 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-8).
Under-12 Boys’ Singles
Semi-finals
Amir Hussain bt Freddie Osenton-Brown 3-1 (11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 11-8)
Jamie Liu bt Josh Weatherby 3-2 (11-9, 11-5, 6-11, 12-14, 12-10)
Final
Liu bt Hussain 3-2 (8-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 12-10)
Under-11 Girls’ Singles
Semi-finals
Ruby Chan bt Sophie Rinnhofer 3-0 (11-3, 11-2, 11-4)
Sophie Chiang bt Scarlett O’Neil 3-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-6)
Final
Chan bt Chiang 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 11-5)
Under-11 Boys’ Singles
Semi-finals
Rhys Davies bt Dylan Tynan 3-1 (11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-8)
Jamie Liu bt Thomas Rayner 3-0 (12-10, 11-6, 11-9)
Final
Liu bt Davies 3-0 (11-9, 11-2, 11-4)