Melbourne’s Sam Thompson has etched his name into Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club folklore after he secured his third Easter tournament men’s singles title on Monday afternoon.
The star tennis player won the final against friend-rival Adam Lasky in straight sets (6-2, 6-4) to claim his third singles title at the event after wins in 2023 and 2014.
A muggy, cloudy day may have made Thompson’s match a bit harder than perhaps it needed to be, but nothing could get the smile off the champion’s face.
“Pretty exhausted as it was pretty hot out there, but always feel good after a win,” he said.
“It was great to play against Adam as he is a great competitor and I really enjoy coming out to play in Shepparton every year.
“Looking at the name board, there is obviously quite a rich history of tennis here in Victoria and it is a real honour to be on the board three times with some of those names.
“It has been really strong this year as there have been some awesome players and a lot of ex-professional players, so I had quite a few tough matches in the lead-up to the final.”
Thompson hopes his good form continues for the next couple of months as he is set to play in Tennis Victoria’s pennant competition.
After his strong showing in Monday’s final, Thompson quickly congratulated and recognised his opponent Lasky, who unfortunately suffered a minor back injury during his semi-final match.
“It’s a little bit tricky because he was a bit injured, so he wasn’t up to his full form, but he still manages to play unbelievable and make it extremely difficult for me,” he said.
“Like I said, it is always enjoyable playing Adam, and we have had a lot of good matches going back through the years.”
Runner-up Lasky was quick to return serve in terms of compliments, as he had high praise for Thompson’s ability.
“I had a good week and fell short in the final, but Sam is just too good and was hitting the ball way too good,” Lasky said.
“With him, you just have to bide your time and hope he misses a couple because if he is on, he is on.
“Like today, he was just hitting some of the prettiest, best shots I have ever seen.
“But it is an awesome tournament as we come down every year and have been doing so for 10 or so years, and it is just pencilled into the calendar as it is one of the best tournaments for sure.”
Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club has enjoyed one of its most successful Easter tennis tournaments to date, with about 650 entries.
The celebrations are in full swing for the club as it commemorates the tournament’s 100th anniversary.