Meriden’s tennis team has claimed the title of top schoolgirls’ tennis team in the world after winning the 2015 ISF World Schools Tennis Championship in Qatar last Saturday.
Organised by the International School Sport Federation, the ISF tennis tournament showcases some of the best young players from around the globe. As well as Australia, participating nations included England, Germany, Italy, Turkey, France, Belgium, China and Brazil.
After placing fourth at the event in 2011 and third in 2013, the six-member Meriden team took out the top prize this year with a convincing performance at the Doha-hosted tournament running from 9 to 15 March.
The Meriden team of Claudia Furdi, Linda Huang, Amne Ghamraoui, Violet Apisah, Michaela Haet and Shubhika Dubey dominated each of their matches.
After comfortable wins against the French and German teams in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively, the Meriden team took on defending champions Turkey in the final, winning four matches to one.
With the Meriden team clear winners, the Australian and Turkish teams ended the tournament with a friendly mixed doubles match in commemoration of the centenary of the ANZAC Gallipoli landing.
Meriden Principal, Dr Julie Greenhalgh, said the school was delighted with Sunday’s win and proud of the team’s performance in Qatar.
“It’s a fantastic result and testament to the time, energy and focus the girls have dedicated to their training. The ISF World Championship pitted our team against some of the best young tennis players in the world and the win demonstrates just how talented our Meriden girls are. We couldn’t be happier with the performance and can’t wait to celebrate with the team when they return to school,” she said.
The team was eligible to travel to Qatar to represent Australia after winning the Australian National Schools Tennis Challenge in November 2014, an event Meriden has won four times since 2010.
The school has developed a reputation as one of Australia’s leading schools for girls in tennis. Meriden continues to foster the talent of students at an elite level through its highly regarded Olympus Program, which provides specialised training in time management, injury prevention, nutrition and stress management, as well as additional tennis training.
