Torrumbarry tennis ace Isabella Crossman has yet again impressed on the national stage, recording some impressive results at the 2023 under-18 Australian Championships in Melbourne last week.
Playing at Melbourne Park, Crossman competed in both the singles and doubles tournaments, starting with the round robin portion of the singles tournament.
Coming up against Queenslander Cara Korhonen in her first match, fifth-seed Crossman clinched a solid 6-4, 6-3 win, although suffered a slip-up in her second match against fellow Victorian Jelena Cvijanovic, going down 2-6, 1-6.
The loss to Cvijanovic meant a win in the final round robin clash became vital for Crossman to advance to the quarter final stage of the tournament.
Coming up against qualifier Ashley Katz, Crossman made a poor start to drop the first set 4-6, but rallied to claim the second 6-2 and send the match to a deciding third set.
The junior star handled the pressure with aplomb, carving out a 6-4 final set to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 and advance in the competition.
Unfortunately for Crossman, she met Ashlee Narker in the quarter final, who would go on to be crowned Australian champion.
The local export put up a great fight, forcing the match to a deciding third set — the only player to force Narker to go the distance — but ultimately fell 5-7, 7-6, 3-6.
While her singles quest may have come to an end, Crossman did not let that affect her doubles campaign, teaming up with Kristina Tai as the pair entered the tournament as the third seed.
After a bye in the first round, Crossman and Tai met Katz and Gabrielle Villegas in the quarter finals, playing out an epic three set duel.
Claiming the first set 7-5, Crossman and Tai dropped the second 4-6, forcing what turned into an intense third set.
It would take 22 games in the final set to decide a winner, with Crossman and Tai hanging in to prevail 12-10 and advance to the semi-finals.
A relatively straightforward 6-1 first set win put the duo in the box seat for the win against Roisin Gilheany and Sophie McDonald, which they ultimately achieved after claiming the second set 7-6 in a tiebreak, advancing to the final.
Although they did not win, suffering a 2-6, 2-6 defeat in the decider against Sarah Mildren and Elizabeth Ivanov, Crossman’s outstanding efforts alongside Tai ensured they are still able to lay claim to being the second-best junior doubles partners in the country.