Victorian Lachlan King is among the top-performing 14/u athletes progressing to the quarterfinals at the 2023 December Showdown.
Melbourne, Australia, 5 December 2023 | Leigh Rogers
The round-robin stage of the 14-and-under Australian Junior Tour Masters concluded at Melbourne Park today.
Lachlan King is among the top-performing competitors progressing to the knockout quarterfinals at the national championships, which are being played as part of the December Showdown.
The 14-year-old from Victoria is unbeaten so far this week, scoring three straight-sets victories to finish atop of Group B.
“I’m feeling pretty good on the court,” King said after posting a 6-1 6-3 win against Western Australian Elijah Liu in his final round-robin match.
“This gives me a lot of confidence for the next couple of rounds. I feel ready to show my real game to the top players.”
King, who recently completed his year eight exams at Brighton Grammar School, is relishing the opportunity to compete at Melbourne Park this week.
“It’s pretty cool to think that the pros play here during the AO,” King said.
“It’s a really good experience to see what the courts are like and to play with the referees and officials. It feels like a real professional tournament, which is really nice.”
This is King’s second December Showdown experience. He finished 10th in the 14/u boys’ singles event last year, so is thrilled to have bettered that result.
“Everyone is pretty good, you have to show your A game every match,” King explained about the biggest challenges of competing at the annual event.
“There are a lot of matches and you have to back it up match after match. Last year I struggled doing that.”
King admits there is some extra pressure being the No.2 seed in this year’s draw, but is proud to be in this position.
“Obviously it’s nice to have a number next to your name, but I don’t think it means too much,” said King, who enjoyed his first Grand Slam experience in the Wimbledon 14/u event earlier this year.
King declared “it would mean so much” to win the Australian Junior Tour Masters title, but for now his immediate focus is on a quarterfinal clash with New South Wales’ Flynn Coventry-Searle tomorrow.
In the girls’ singles competition, the top seven seeds have all progressed to the quarterfinals. They’ll be joined by Angel Warang from New South Wales.
> FOLLOW: Live scores from the December Showdown
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