Teenage tennis stars shine at New Year open tournament

TEENAGE tennis sensations Marielou Baudouin and Noah Pociask have claimed the open singles titles at the Ballina New Year Open tournament.

Baudouin, 18, from Mullumbimby, won the women’s final for a second time after becoming the youngest female champion at the event in 2024.

She now plays college tennis at Michigan in the United States and set to return overseas for another semester of competition.

The final saw her drop the first set against second seed Ava Garner before fighting back to win 6-7, 6-2, 10-4.

“It was a great final; she will definitely be one to watch in the coming years,” Baudouin said.

“I played a girl who was in college here two years ago in the final, and it was really good to be able to come back and win it again.

“It’s always great to see the younger girls going well. I’ve had a few players ask me about what I’ve been doing and how they want to do something similar.

“I definitely recommend doing it, It’s my dream to travel and play professionally.”

In the men’s final, third seed Noah Pociask overcame sixth seed Zac Creenaune 6-4, 7-6.

He did not drop a set throughout the tournament with the 16-year-old coming off a national title representing NSW schools last year.

He is one of the top juniors to come out of Port Macquarie in recent years and hopes to take his game to the next level.

“It’s a great win; there are a lot of fantastic players at this tournament who I know really well,” Pociask said.

“It was my third time here, and I was confident I could do well if things went my way. I’m really happy with my progress, but I still have a long way to go.”

The men’s doubles title was won by Mullumbimby duo Onyx Cheong and Che Ward, who defeated the experienced pairing of Robert Dorman and Stephen Gort 7-5, 7-5.

The four-day tournament attracted almost 200 competitors competing for national ranking points and $5000 in prize money.

The event was supported by volunteers from the Ballina Tennis Club.