TOP seed Alicia Smith has taken out the 25k Victorian Grasscourt Championships, despite being forced to three sets on Saturday at Mildura Lawn Tennis Club.
It was the same story for number two seeded Josh Charlton in the men’s, pushed to three after dropping the second set to fifth seed Matthew Hulme.
Smith prevailed 7-6, 4-6, 63 in the final against Belle Thompson, dropping only her second set for the tournament against the third-seeded Victorian.
Despite the hiccups, the number one seed came away from the five-game knockout tournament with an impressive 70-36 game record.
Charlton was also favourite going into his final, but similarly found trouble in the second set before prevailing 6-2, 6-7, 4-6.
Some of best players from around the country and beyond took to the Mildura courts for the five-day championships – with 32 players in each singles draw, many of which will be backing up in this week’s Mildura International Pro Tour event.
In the doubles, Smith and Charlton capped perfect weeks with victory in their events.
Smith combined with New Zealander Monique Barry for a thrilling 3-6, 6-3, 10-7 victory over main rivals and number two seeds Laquisa Khan and Thompson.
It was the only set the duo dropped on their way to victory in the tournament.
Charlton also backed up his singles win, his top seeded combination with vanquished singles final opponent Hulme defeating third seeds Adrian Arcon and Stefan Storch 6-4, 6-4.
The pair did not drop a set across the four-round doubles tournament, boasting a dominant 56-26 games record.
