TA Press Release, March 23, 2018

Australia’s top 14-and-under boys and girls will head to Bangkok, Thailand to compete in the 2018 ITF World Junior Tennis Asia / Oceania qualifying event in a bid to become one of four teams to earn a spot in the prestigious ITF World Junior Tennis Finals to be held later this year.  

The boys team will see Alec Braund (Maryborough, Qld), Derek Pham (Maida Vale, WA) and Edward Winter (Glenelg, SA) compete in Bangkok from 26-31 March 2018 captained by National Performance WA Manager Tom George. 

Australia’s 14-and-under junior girls team is hoping to replicate their success from last year, which saw them finish on top at the qualifying event, with the 2018 team of Catherine Aulia (Rosebery, NSW), Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz (Glengowrie, SA) and Mia Repac (Corrimal, NSW) led by National Academy SA Head Coach Milo Bradley set to compete from 2–7 April 2018.

Milo Bradley believes World Junior Tennis is a vital step on the way to competing in the world of professional tennis.

“World Junior Tennis provides our juniors with one of the best opportunities to compete on the world stage and get a feel for where they are at as junior tennis players,” Bradley said.

“Being able to compete against the world’s best players in a competitive team environment gives our juniors an insight into what it is like to represent your country.”

“Last year our girls had a strong result and we hope Catherine, Charlotte and Mia can compete at their best individually and as a team to achieve similar results.” 

Tom George believes the boys are well-equipped to contest the title.

“All three team members have had a solid 12 months to earn them selection for the Australian squad,” George said.

“Alec, Derek and Edward are all great players and I’m excited to see the boys represent Australia to the best of their abilities.”

Australia will face off against a handful of teams from 16 Asia / Oceania nations – China, Japan, Sri Lanka, India, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand and Uzbekistan.

The top four teams from the qualifying event will progress to the finals in August alongside the world’s top 16 nations who have qualified from other world zones including Africa, North/Central America, South America and Europe.

Australian 14s Boys team

26-31 March (Bangkok, Thailand)

Alec Braund (Qld)

Derek Pham (WA)

Edward Winter (SA)

Captain – Tom George (WA)

Australian 14s Girls team

2-7 April (Bangkok, Thailand)

Catherine Aulia (NSW)

Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz (SA)

Mia Repac (NSW)

Captain – Milo Bradley (SA)

Manager – Emma Shoemaker (Vic)

The ITF World Junior Tennis tournament is an international team competition for players aged 14-and-under.