Warner repeats British Junior Open double
Mueller retains U14's title; Dan Morgan beats brother for U12 crown; Raitt takes Junior Girls’ title
Max Warner has become the first player to win back-to-back British Junior U16 and U18 Opens in consecutive years, winning both tournaments at the Queen’s Club on Sunday. Meanwhile, Tuxedo’s Kurt Mueller defended his Under 14’s title, while Dan Morgan has defeated his brother Jack Morgan in the first ever final between two brothers, and Martha Raitt secured the Junior Girls’ title.
The first match of the Finals Day was the Under 18 Girls’ final between Hampton Court’s Martha Raitt and Wellington’s Alice Dyrer. Raitt put on an excellent display of serving, keeping the ball tight to the wall and making life difficult for the left-handed Dyer. Raitt was hitting an excellent height in over the net, keeping Dyer under pressure. However, her keenness to boast out of trouble gave away a few hazard chases. Dyer capitalised, using the service end to win her solitary game. Raitt walked away the champion in the first to eight game match.
The Under 12’s final saw battle between a pair of brothers, both of whom had progressed through the group stage as top seeds. Nine-year-old Jack Morgan was unafraid to battle against his eleven-year-old big brother Daniel Morgan, with nervous parents watching on from the dedans. Jack impressed with his vicious cut strokes, generating plenty of power and spin given his short levers. Daniel, meanwhile, had a slightly better read of the court, helping himself when getting out of sticky situations and creating difficult shots for his younger brother. Jack’s serves were causing trouble early in the match as Daniel looked nervous in his play, but once he settled he was able to make progress, going on a long run of games to win the match.
Defending Under 14’s champion Kurt Mueller from Tuxedo returned to Queen’s to defend his title, one of two international entries in the draw. His opponent was Maximillian Ansell from Hatfield. As in the previous edition, Mueller controlled the match from start to finish. His shot execution was precise, giving Ansell very little to work with. Ansell kept throwing himself after the ball, but could not find a way to put his opponent under pressure. Mueller’s quick pace of play did not give Ansell much of a chance to compose himself and start looking for chases, as the young American fired through serve after serve. Ansell won a single game in each set, with Mueller once again taking the title back to the United States.
The Under 16’s final was a rematch of both the Under 16’s and Under 18’s finals from the previous year, as well as the Under 19’s World Championships in Bordeaux. Max Warner had won all three previous encounters, while Laszlo Garson had one chance at a title, having failed to reach the final of the Under 18’s draw. Knowning he needed to turn the tables on Warner to get a positive result, Garson stepped up to Warner’s railroads, looking to hit them back down the middle of the court and at the dedans. But Warner’s double-handed volleys were too strong, punching the ball back into the open areas of the court. Garson cycled through a few more stategies to no avail. Towards the end of the match, the points were flowing freely for Warner, completing a double-bagel victory and marking an important milestone in his development given the closeness of his battles with Garson in recent years.
After a few minutes rest, Warner had to back up again to play in the Under 18’s final, this time against the Oratory’s Archie Watson. Unlike every other age category, the pair had not played off in the group stages earlier in the weekend as both agreed to scratch their final dead rubbers, meaning the form guide going into the match was a mystery. In contrast to the Under 16’s final, Watson had the power and pace to back up his forcing strategy, catching Warner off-guard on the volley. Instead, Warner was getting the better of the longer, ground stroke rallies, meaning the match largely hinged on the quality of Warner’s left-handed railroad against the power of Watson’s return of serve. The decisive break in the first set came when Warner switched to his demi-pique, restricting Watson’s ability to force. Warner backed himself to hit out of the backhand corner down the line to the grille and tambour. After taking the first set 6/3, Warner settled into a rythmn while Watson was left to search for answers. Though Watson never abandoned the fight, Warner’s consistency was too strong, as he quickly wrapped up the match.
Warner’s win puts him in esteemed company as players who have won the British Junior U18’s Open twice, joining the likes of Max Trueman, Will Flynn and Connor Medlow. During the prize ceremony, Laszlo Garson was awarded the Nat Duncan Memorial Prize for his sportsmanship during the tournament.
Match results:
10:30 AM (Under 18 Girl’s Final): Martha Raitt def Alice Dyer 8/1
12:30 PM (Under 12’s Final): Daniel Morgan def Jack Morgan 8/5
1:30 PM (Under 14’s Final): Kurt Mueller def Maximillian Ansell 6/1 6/1
2:30 PM (Under 16’s Final): Max Warner def Laszlo Garson 6/0 6/0
3:30 PM (Under 18’s Final): Max Warner def Archie Watson 6/3 6/1