By Scott Roblin

Heller wins fourth straight City Singles title, juniors stun ladies division

May 27, 2019 | 8:30 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Calvin Heller continued his domination at the top of Medicine Hat’s tennis sphere, but it was a pair of junior girls who stole the show this weekend.

Heller took home his fourth consecutive Medicine Hat City Singles men’s title on Sunday afternoon, but only after a marathon match between juniors Libby Bourassa and Dannan McElroy-O’Driscoll in the ladies final.

Taking on second seed Cory Streifel, Heller took the first set easily by a 6-3 score before fending off a Streifel push in the second set to win his first championship trophy of the year 6-3, 6-2.

“It’s the first tournament of the year, so everyone is rusty and you don’t know what to expect,” said Heller. “I was really happy with the way I played. I had a tough draw all the way through, first player right through to the championship.”

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Streifel, who rocketed up the bracket over the four-day event, made the most of his run which was buoyed by increased training this spring.

Although disappointed by the loss in the final, the runner-up said he was happy to put some pressure on the local tennis great.

“Cal’s a tough competitor, he’s so solid it’s tough to break him,” said Streifel. “We had lots of juniors this year come up, it was like a changing of the guard. I wasn’t sure if that was prophetic on my side, but it was a big push to get through Cal. I’m just glad I got a few games off him.”

Heller’s win came less than 24 hours after teenager Bourassa won her first City Singles title with a three sets victory over fellow junior competitor McElroy-O’Driscoll (6-3, 4-6, 6-3).

It’s the first time in the Medicine Hat Tennis Club’s history that their City Singles women’s final featured a pair of teenagers battling for gold.

Heller said it’s a positive step forward for the club’s junior players, but added this year’s result will provide some fire for the usual adult competitors.

“Our juniors are getting good, look that’s the bottom line,” he said. “They’re coming along, they’re practicing hard. But at the same time, some of our other members are starting to take their game serious too. So, I think it’s going be a little bit of cat and mouse back and forth.”

Another upset came in the men’s intermediate championship match, as unseeded Cody Woodcock took out top seed Brock Hale in straight sets (6-1, 7-5).

Heller added the competition between club members has been ramping up over the last few years and expects to see it increase even more through the summer.

“I got the better of Cory today, I guarantee he’s already looking forward to August,” said Heller. “Same with Libby and Dannan, they would maybe like a rematch with each other and also there’s some of the other ladies that want to be in that final come August too.”

“I think everyone is going to be training hard and it’s all up for grabs.”

A busy June schedule for the Medicine Hat Tennis Club kicks off on June 9 with the Junior Singles Open tournament, which is followed by the annual Barry Shave Classic Memorial doubles tournament later that week.