Tennis: Bay’s Giddy goes back-to-back

Hawke’s Bay’s Craig Giddy heaped kudos on his training partners after he retained his national seniors tennis 45-plus singles title in Auckland on Monday.

“Regular matches with the likes of Dan [Willman, the former Kiwi No 1], Rob [Reynolds, Hawke’s Bay No 1] and Shane [Wilson, Havelock North club professional] paid off. I was better prepared than last year,” Giddy said.

“At the same time I was quite nervous because everyone up here spoke highly of Brendon,” Giddy said, referring to Aucklander Brendon Furness, who he beat 7-6, 6-2 in the final.

Giddy, the 48-year-old professional coach at Hastings Tennis and Squash Club, was the top seed in his eight-man draw. He didn’t drop a set in his three matches at the Remuera club.

“Kaipara loaded me with confidence and my wife Lynn gave me plenty of support before the final … that helped too,” Giddy said, referring to his Auckland-based doubles partner and former Hawke’s Bay representative Kaipara Solomon.

“I told Craig to relax and play his game. In the end he was just too good and Brendon is no mug. Before moving to Auckland he played alongside a lot of the big names down in Canterbury and he also had a stint in Germany,” Solomon said.

A former Eastern Province title holder in South Africa, Giddy has lived in Hawke’s Bay for the past seven years. He will attempt a three-peat next year.

“There is talk the tournament may be in Napier so it would be good to try and do it in front of the home crowd,” Giddy said.

Solomon and Giddy finished second in the 45-plus doubles round robin, which attracted four pairs. They recorded two wins and one loss.

In their only loss, the top seeds were beaten 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 by eventual title winners Furness and Troy Tipene of Auckland.

Giddy will play with Havelock North’s Ron Garrick at the annual Waipawa seniors tournament on February 23. He will also compete at the national seniors teams event in Christchurch from April 18-21.