All the way: Men’s Goulburn Valley Open Championships 2023 winner Brendon Lee alongside runner-up Lachlan McFadzean.
Photo by
Aydin Payne
The Goulburn Valley Open Championships are once again ready to set the stage for a big year of tennis in the region.
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Held from January 2-5, the annual showpiece event at Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club is a significant regional attraction as facilities across the nation get ready for the influx of players in the Australian Open lead-up.
The tournament will comprise several junior divisions, starting at singles draws for players aged eight-and-under all the way up to the featured open events.
Tournament organiser Steve Longworth said 250 players had registered to take part, an increase on the 2023 edition of the tournament.
ATP-ranked Australian Josh Charlton takes the number one seed in the men’s draw for the 2024 running, with Patrick Fitzgerald, currently ranked on the ATP doubles charts, assuming the second seed.
The women’s top seed is Shepparton’s Olivia Quigley.
Five out of the six Australian states will be represented within the various draws, with only Western Australia failing to field a participant.
The interstate contingent will be one to watch, with players outside Victoria scooping the men’s and women’s open singles titles in the last running.
Taking it home: Goulburn Valley Open Championships 2023 Women’s singles runner-up Laquisa Khan and winner Sahra Dennehy.
Photo by
Aydin Payne
Even hopefuls from as far away as Germany are on their way for the four-day hit-out.
On that note, Longworth sees value in the tournament as an opportunity for local players to take on ambitious arrivals from abroad, as the tennis world revolves mainly around regional areas of Victoria for the first half of January.
“(Shepparton) puts on one of the first tournaments of the year and players enjoy the grass courts,” Longworth said.
“Over 100 entered into the open singles and 27 are in the open women’s, with junior events well-supported as well.”
After festivities conclude on January 5, Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club will have four more weeks away from hosting competitions before the Goulburn Murray Lawn Tennis Association resumes play on February 3.
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