Susannah reaffirms her number one position

Editorial Department • Published 21 Jul 2011 13:00 0 Comments

The grass courts of Ballycastle Tennis Club attracted 250 players from far and wide last week as the junior and senior County Antrim championships were run simultaneously. Local hopes Susannah Hughes Jordan, Connor Donaldson and Alison Glass were among those shining the light for Fermanagh.

Alison fulfilled her seeding, reaching the under 14 semi finals after a great display in this, her second year at that level. However, there was heartbreak for Connor Donaldson, who was forced to retire after suffering an ankle injury on court, which hopefully will not bring a premature end to his promising season.

Susannah Hughes-Jordan, the pre-tournament favourite, took another step in reaffirming her position at the top of Ulster tennis by winning her third title in a row this season. After qualifying through to the semi-finals she got off to a slow start against U16 star Aoibhinn Kelly after rain had suspended play for three hours. Aoibhinn broke Susannah's serve immediately, however as the Enniskillen junior began to find her rhythm it proved to be one of the only games Aoibhinn would win. Although the match lasted over two hours and was filled with nail biting rallies, the scoreline displayed a rather emphatic victory for Susannah who won 6/2 6/1. In the final Susannah faced Eva Lennox from Ballymena who defeated local favourite Helen Harvey in the semis. In unfavourable conditions Susannah struggled to find her form of the previous day however she handled the conditions better than her opponent and raced in to the lead taking the opening set 6/2. The Enniskillen junior's sudden loss of concentration early in the second set however proved to be crucial as she found herself two breaks of serve down at 4-1. Yet if Susannah has proven anything this season it is her sheer will to compete, coming back from illness and injury to claim Ulster's number one spot. True to her ranking, Susannah fought back to go 4/3 and so the match took on a gladiatorial aspect as both girls vied for the ultimate prize. Susannah eventually closed out the second set 7/5. This victory augers well for 17 year old Susannah in her last year playing at U18 level. The Enniskillen Lawn Tennis girl's continued success owes much to the commitment of the club's hierarchy and the excellent coaching provided by Level 2 coach, Matthew McGann.

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This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 21 Jul 11

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