1st May, 2011
Melbourne’s lesbian tennis team, the Ace Girls, travelled to central Victoria for Easter to compete in the 87th annual Shepparton Lawn Tennis Open. The team fielded 12 players in the huge 500 player event. The Shepparton RSL gave special dispensation for matches to continue over Anzac Day, and this year there was a short Anzac Day ceremony on centre court before the start of play on the Easter Monday/Anzac Day holiday.
This year saw the Ace Girls reach a record 4 finals:
- Leona Knapman, runner up in the B grade singles
- Georgina Holloway, runner up C grade singles
- Georgina Holloway and Demetra Giannakopoulos, winners C grade doubles
- Gina Moore (with partner Chris), winners D grade mixed doubles
Team captain TJ said, “this is an incredible result. I thought last year was with 3 finals appearances; this is an excellent testament to all the hard work the team has been doing on the court and in the gym. We have a few players injured at the moment but what we find is that we always see new stars emerge on the grass courts at Shepparton.” Of particular note was Georgina Holloway, who made finals in both singles and doubles. “When we were 4-2 down in the doubles final I was a bit worried, but we reduced our unforced errors and came out on top. And Demetra’s volleys were sensational,” said Holloway.
The Ace Girls’ red and white tennis shirts were a prominent feature all weekend, with players in 11 events from the A grade to the D grade. Particular depth was shown in the B grade, where Ace Girls made up 3 out of 4 semi-finalists in the singles, and 2 out of 4 semi-finalists in the doubles. Leona Knapman showed great courage when she played her B grade singles final with a prolapsed pectoral muscle.
Team captain TJ said that the club had 30 players attending the regular Monday night training sessions, with 20 regularly competing in open tournaments around Australia and internationally. TJ herself has just come back from the Asia Pacific Outgames in Wellington New Zealand, where she won the gold medal for women’s singles. “There is a lot to stay motivated for. In July there is the North American Outgames in Vancouver, and then in 2013 there is the World Outgames in Antwerp Belgium”.
All the success on the tennis courts is underscored by an active social life for the Ace Girls. While in Shepparton they dominated the pool tables at the local pub, much to the chagrin of the local blokes. Then of course there are the monthly pub dinners all year in Melbourne. The team has a wide range of ages and tennis skill levels, but are united in a love of good food, travel, camaraderie and competition.
New players are always welcome.
More info on the Ace Girls: www.acegirls.org