Albany tennis stars Denby Sharpe and Tea Zizek to represent WA at School Sport Australia’s Bruce Cup in Darwin

A pair of rising tennis sensations from Albany have been selected to represent WA at School Sport Australia’s Bruce Cup in Darwin starting on Saturday. Products of Albany’s OnCourt Tennis program, Denby Sharpe and Tea Zizek will each compete in a 14-player — seven boys and seven girls — team for WA in the competition which draws the best 12-and-under talent from across the nation. WA will play every State with each tie made up of 24 matches, including six boys and girls singles matches, three boys and girls doubles, and six mixed doubles matches. Tour leader Andrea Rundle said it is an exciting prospect for two regional tennis players to represent the State in a usually metro-dominated team. “This is their second year, (and before that) I haven’t had country players for more than five years so it’s great to have country representation in a WA State team,” Rundle said. “It’s a fabulous event and Perth kids are playing each other all the time so it’s actually nice for the players to be on the same team and it’s a great honour for them to represent the State. “They have the opportunity to play the best kids in Australia and will have a great time. “It’s a fabulous opportunity, it’s another level and great for their development.” After missing out on a medal last year, Rundle said the team is hungry to get onto the podium again. “We certainly punch above our weight and we usually medal, I would expect to be in the medals again,” she said. “We didn’t do as well last year but I think we will be in contention for the top four.” Rundle confirmed the pair will likely line-up as a mixed doubles pairing throughout the tournament. The week-long tournament played on hard courts rotates between capital cities every year and starts on Saturday. The pair will be part of a State presentation on Friday before flying out to Darwin with the team.