Nugent wins National Nike Junior Tour Masters

Surrey tennis junior Nicholas Nugent ended a summer of tennis by winning the National Nike Junior Tour Masters at the NTC this weekend and earning himself a place in the International Masters in the Dominican Republic.

The Nike Junior Tour is a series of tournaments for the Under 12 and the Under 14 age groups. Players compete across the summer with the aim of accumulating points in the same way as on the ATP and WTA circuits. The players with the most accumulated points are invited to the National Masters held at the NTC in Roehampton.

Nicholas earned his place in the Masters after winning both the Letchworth and the Hoole Junior tournaments in the summer. He was joined by seven other boys in the Under 12 age group, 8 girls in each of the U12 and U14 age groups, and 8 boys in the U14 age group. Participants came from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, making it a genuine UK-wide event.

Over the weekend the juniors competed in an 8-player compass format, with Chair Umpires for all main draw matches and consolation matches for all age groups. The winner from each age group goes on to represent the UK at the International Masters in the Dominican Republic in October, along with representatives from 26 other countries.

The Tournament Organiser commented ‘The finals were the best we have seen since the NJT was introduced into the UK 6 years ago and the matches were fiercely contested throughout’. For Nicholas, the opportunity to go the International Masters in the Dominican Republic was clearly a motivating factor. ‘After the first set I could hear the Caribbean calling’ said Nicholas talking about his finals victory. ‘I’m really pleased – going to the International Masters will be my first ever experience of competing outside the UK. I am also extremely lucky that Hampton School are really supportive of my tennis and have given me time off to compete.’

Nicholas wasn’t the only Surrey player competing. In the Under 12s, 11 year old Alastair Gray gave a sterling performance, reaching the semi-finals before losing in an incredibly close third set tie-break to Sebastien Butler. In the girls, Nicole Shakhnazarova won the consolation draw in the Under 14s.