Heat on Hewitt first up at tennis country champs

MEN’S open singles No.1 seed Lachlan Hewitt hits the court on Saturday at Mildura Lawn Tennis Club in his opening match of the 2020 Victorian Inter-Regional Country Championships.

The Swan Hill player, representing Northern Mallee alongside players from Mildura, had a bye in Friday’s round one but faces Bendigo’s Corbin Fleming in the quarter final round on Saturday.

Fleming took three sets on Friday to overcome Wodonga’s Jayson Tomicic 6-6, 6-1, 10-2.

Fourth seed Jarrod Bingham will play Josh Parsons in the other semi-final on Hewitt’s side of the draw after the pair won over Jeff Friberg and Chandler Zahra respectively on Friday.

On the other side of the draw third seed Aidan Fitzgerald (Strathfieldsaye) is up against Matthew Moloney on Saturday.

Fitzgerald was too strong for Mildura’s Lachlan Flynn on Friday, winning in straight sets, while Moloney had a similar result over Dylan Emmerson.

Brett Kelly is in the other quarter-final, to face the winner of the match between second seed James O’Sullivan and Sam Mcharg.

This match was due to start not before noon on Friday but play was suspended due to the heat before it could get under way.

Shepparton’s Eliza Long, the women’s open singles No.1 seed, starts her campaign on Saturday against Karina Virgona from the Mornington Peninsula following Virgona’s win over Jessica Swarbrick on Friday.

Third seed Nicole Mullen (Barwon) faces Casey Fleming in her quarter-final, with second seed Eloise Swarbrick (Warrnambool) and Goulburn fourth seed Brooke Starling to face Michelle Balic and Anna Exell respectively on the other side of the draw.

Matches will start at 7.30am on Saturday as organisers work to make up time following the suspension of play in the extreme heat at 1.52pm yesterday.