Teen nets his first ITF points

Cannington's Elliot Darling has made a positive start in his attempt to attain junior tennis world ranking points in Christchurch.

In his first International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournament for players aged 18 years and under, the 14-year-old has come away with two and a half points, which mark a significant milestone in his career.

He faced a tough start against recent Australian 14s boys Open runnerup Oliver Ceranic, losing 6-2 6-4.

Darling progressed through three rounds before reaching the consolation final against 16th seed Genki Yoshida from Japan.

However, he found the pace challenging and succumbed, 6-1 6-1.

Darling also had a strong doubles tournament, combining with fellow Cantabrian Benji McGillivray.

They beat a Pacific region combination and the eighth seeds on the way to the quarterfinals, before being knocked out by the second seeds.

Darling's strong form followed on from reaching the quarterfinals of the 16s and under nationals last week, where he upset two seeded players, before being put out by the top seed.

- © Fairfax NZ News