Crossman rounds out strong Junior Open qualifying campaign

By Josh Huntly

Jan 20, 2022

Focused: Isabella Crossman went 1-1 in Australian Open Junior Championship qualifying tournament.

Isabella Crossman’s run at a main draw placing in the Australian Open Junior Championship came to an end at the hands of Japan’s Mio Mushika on Thursday in Traralgon.

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It was a strong showing from the talented Rich River tennis prodigy, who was drawn as a wildcard in the qualifying tournament.

Scheduled to compete at the Yarrawonga All Stars Tennis event, Crossman was notified just a day before that she would be competing in Traralgon once more.

In round one, Crossman crafted a fine first-up performance against 11th seed Darina Kamenoff on Wednesday, winning in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.

Victory over Kamenoff saw Crossman progress to a second-round match-up against sixth seed Mio Mushika of Japan, with a spot in the 32-player main draw of the Junior Open up for grabs.

While Crossman kept pace with Mushika in the first set — falling 4-6 — the 15-year-old fell 1-6 in the second set to bring her campaign to an end.

Crossman’s quality was on show across the two days, and it was another strong showing from the up-and-coming young player, who is enjoying a golden summer of tennis.

Attendance at the Junior Open qualifiers comes after Crossman’s appearance at the 2022 Traralgon International just last week, an International Tennis Federation tournament.

There, she was drawn against fellow Australian Madison Schwarz in the opening round, which she won in a three-set contest 4-6, 6-4, 10-5 (super tie-breaker) in just her second ITF event before falling in the second round.

Before that Crossman was victorious in Horsham, where she claimed the open women’s title in the regional tournament.

By Josh Huntly