Snapshot: PLC Sydney Tennis

Shiori Takeda (left) and Lia Koulias have both competed in international tennis events.

such an amazing opportunity in which I was then able to play my first UTR Pro Tennis event where I played against semi-professional tennis players. I also had the privilege of having Head Tennis Coach, Justin Astri watch all of my matches. I was supported and given so much advice which boosted my confidence greatly. This event was recorded and gave me time to reflect and rewatch my matches in order to understand what I needed to improvise to become an even stronger player. During the school holidays, I flew to New Zealand to play another J3 ITF Tournament and I made it to the semi-finals. Justin was there at this tournament to support me by constantly giving me tips before my matches, which I am very grateful for. I have earned enough points this term to enter the main draw match for most ITF tournaments and be invited into Tennis Australia day squads and also into nationals.

Shiori Takeda, Year 10

PLC Sydney tennis is a dynamic, growing and personalised program that caters for over 250 girls from Pre‑Kindergarten to Year 12. Head Tennis Coach, Justin Astri and myself are proud to see the department growing and girls showing passion when undertaking tennis training and representing PLC Sydney.

We have more than 100 girls representing PLC Sydney on a yearly basis during the IGSA and IPSHA competitions. Many of the girls play tournaments externally, trying to improve their Universal Tennis Rank (UTR) – these tournaments are local, state, national and international events. The following three girls have all competed in international events and are some of the best players in Australia for their year group: Kimiko Cooper Lia Koulias Shiori Takeda

We hope to see these girls continue to strive to greater heights in tennis and encourage others to look towards higher tennis levels.

Steve Randjelovic

Director of Tennis At the start of Term 3, I was given the opportunity to play in my first International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament which was located in Fiji. The school allowed me to take the first few weeks off school to play in this tournament. I made it to the quarterfinals in my first singles match and made the semi-finals in both my singles and doubles match the following week. Without PLC Sydney’s support, I would not have been able to experience This semester I have competed in a several events and tournaments.

In early Term 3 I competed in the NSW Winter Open, an event open to all ages. After battling some tough opponents, with the support of Justin, one of our PLC Sydney coaches, I won both the singles and doubles event, a great result. This year I competed in several trials (including IGSA and PSSA) and was selected to represent NSW at the Pizzey Cup team event in Perth. In late August, I attended this event and after a long but exciting week NSW placed 2nd overall. I also recently competed in the Parramatta City Open in Doubles, which I won. I also recently received an invitation to the 14 and under Masters Event which will be held in Melbourne in December and is an invitation only event for the top 16 girls in the country. Currently I compete in a high level weekly competition, Premier League. Lia Koulias, Year 8

HIGHLIGHTS: Kimiko Cooper, Year 9 Tennis Europe Junior Tour International Tennis Federation (ITF) Tournaments U14 Fürstenfeld Austria – Finalist ITF JB2 Sydney Tournament – Round 16 U14 Kufstein Austria – Winner ITF J4 Singapore Tournament – Round 16 U16 Ulm Germany – Quarter Finals ITF J3 Auckland Tournament – Quarter Finals U14 Hasselt, Belgium – Round 16 ITF J3 Christchurch Tournament – Quarter Finals ITF Ranking: 581 Tennis Europe Ranking: 182 Kimiko Cooper, Year 9