Abbi's brilliant form impresses

Cameron Newbold, ALBANY ADVERTISERAlbany Advertiser

Mon, 2 February 2015 1:49PM

Abbi Gibson, 9, has had a winning summer of tennis. Credit: Laurie Benson

Rising star Abbi Gibson is the second-highest ranked junior tennis player for her age after a brilliant summer that included two wins in Australian Ranking tournaments in Perth earlier this month.

Abbi, 9, won the 12s singles titles at the Applecross Junior Open, with the white series Australian Ranking event played on grass at the start of this month.

In the semifinals, Abbi defeated No.4 seed Anya Rajan 4-1 4-0 and then stepped up to down No. 2 seed Madeleine Yeats 4-1 4-0 in the final.

Again competing in the 12s age group, Abbi won her second Australian Ranking event in the space of a week when she smashed her rivals in the 12s singles title and also claimed the 12s doubles crown at the South Perth Junior Open.

Abbi did not lose a match to any player seeded in the tournament and defeated both the No.1 and 2 seeds on her way to winning the event.

She is now the second-highest ranked junior for her age in Australia on the back of her impressive form over the school holidays.

Training with the Albany Tennis Academy for the past two and a half years, head coach David Kerr said Abbi was a star on the rise after being identified through the Tennis Australia national talent development program.

“Results are great but to be honest, more importantly Abbi took some very impressive steps both mentally over the events and gained some very important self-confidence,” Kerr said.

“She knows she can go toe to toe with the girls a few years older than her.”

Abbi trains up to six days a week and continues to improve her game, according to Kerr.

“We are really trying to let Abbi develop a style of game that’s based on a mix of power and consistency,” he said.

“She can hit kids off the court at nine and she is a physically strong girl, and as long as she still enjoys the game, I think she can go a long way.”

Abbi's brilliant form impresses

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