Former Chile representative, Bruno Levis, won his sixth men’s open singles at the Bundaberg Radiology Bundaberg Open Table Tennis Championships last weekend.
And Rebecca Tran became the first local player to win the women’s open singles for a second time since Mary Gollan achieved the feat in the 1970s.
Levis, a resident in Brisbane for the last 10 years, returned to Bundaberg after last winning the title in 2017 with previous wins starting in 2011.
After comfortable results in the early rounds this year, Levis faced Rockhampton’s Joel Coughlan in the final.
Despite many outstanding rallies, Levis won the first two games 11/5, 11/4 but Coughlan showed tremendous fighting spirit to claim the third game 11/8.
The high standard of play continued in the next two games but Levis prevailed in each 11/7 and 11/8 to complete his victory.
16-year-old Rebecca Tran triumphs
Tran, who only turned 16 earlier in March, reclaimed the title that she first won as a 13-year-old in 2016, defeating Michele Brockhurst in an enthralling seven-game final that fluctuated throughout the match.
Coming into the event as the fifth seed, Tran first beat the highly experienced second seed, Erica Nolan from Rockhampton, in a shock straight-games result.
Her semi-final, against her fellow Bundaberg and Queensland Junior representative, Leah Scott, was a typical battle between the two who have had countless such matches over the last eight years.
Rebecca Tran won the first game and was never headed but the crucial game was the fifth when Scott led 10/7 only for Tran to win it 15/13.
Scott again leveled the game score by taking the sixth then led at the change in the deciding seventh game but Tran again responded to eventually win it 12/10.
Meanwhile, Brockhurst, the sixth seed, had beaten the number three seed Zhang Hai Yan (Wynnum) in five close games then outlasted Bundaberg top seed, Lorraine Fourro, in six games to reach the final.
Tran won the first game easily but Brockhurst took the next two and only lost the fourth 11/9.
Tran again asserted herself to win the fifth 11/4 but Brockhurst again fought back to level the score before Tran’s composure and experience in many finals at local, State and National levels helped her to win the decider 11/7.
