Disclaimer

This blog is written in a personal capacity and reflects only our family’s experiences of junior tennis tournaments. It does not represent any official tennis body, coach, or club. Any emotional drama, questionable line calls, or parental sideline sighs are entirely our own.

A Grade 4 Weekend in Taunton

This weekend saw Blackbrook Tennis Centre in Taunton hosting a Grade 4 U9 tournament, organised by Kerry, Blackbrook’s Tennis manager, who has been brilliant at encouraging local players to get stuck in.

For those new to the grading system:
Grade 1 tournaments are the elite national level events.
Grades 2–3 are still very tough, often regional/national qualifiers.
Grade 4 (like this one) is more local/regional, competitive but accessible.
Grade 5 tends to be smaller club‑level tournaments.

It was no surprise that most of the Somerset U9 squad turned up, alongside some travelling players from Devon and Avon who no doubt exited the M5 at Junction 25 from either north or south, tennis rackets in tow.

Compass Draws and Byes

With 14 players entered, the organizers set up a 16‑player compass draw (i.e. two players got byes in the first round).

In this format, every player has multiple matches: if you lose a match you don’t drop out but move into a different branch of the draw, ensuring you still play more matches rather than being eliminated immediately.

Scoring was tie‑break points, best of three sets, which means winners of individual games earn tie‑break points as needed, and you need to win two out of three sets to win the match.

Match One: Somerset Buddy Battle

Our son’s opening draw?

None other than Monty Carroll, one of the twins and a Somerset teammate. Monty’s twin, Austin, was also playing – both coached by their father, who happens to be Head of Tennis at Taunton School.

Add in Charlie Takle (also Taunton School) and Logan and Spencer (King’s College Taunton), and the private school contingent was strong.

The match against Monty was brutal: a 25‑minute emotional rollercoaster of tears, grit, and determination on both sides. In the end Monty edged it:

7‑4, 4‑7, 6‑8

Both boys were shattered – and that was only the first round.

After the first match I was sort of cursing that we went swimming in the morning, as our son had missed a few lessons recently – probably not the best pre‑tournament warm‑up.

Match Two: Bouncing Back vs Devon

Next up was Luke Powell from Devon. With just ten minutes to reset, our son showed resilience and played some of his best tennis, winning:

7‑5, 7‑1

The real joy? Seeing the basics slot into place – proper ready position, deep returns, stronger serves, and far sharper tactical awareness than last week’s Devizes outing.

Match Three: Tired Legs vs Millard Lai

Against Millard Lai (Devon), fatigue crept in. Despite playing better overall, concentration waned and the match slipped away:

5‑7, 1‑7

A reminder that stamina is just as important as skill.

Match Four: Cracking Coate’s Serve

The final match was for 9th place against Finn Coate (Somerset), a newcomer to us. Finn’s serve was a weapon – powerful and precise – but his positioning after the return left gaps.

After losing the first set 5‑7, our son adjusted: improved returning, smarter positioning, and even a cheeky drop shot or two. With fist pumps aplenty, he came through:

5‑7, 7‑4, 7‑4

A well‑earned 9th place overall.

Refereeing, Lines, and Lessons in Fairness

Refereeing was led by Michelle (surname unknown), ably supported by a Blackbrook coach. They kept two courts each under control, while the boys were expected to call scores, change ends, and – crucially – call their own lines.

That last part caused tension in the Monty match, where both boys felt aggrieved by each other’s calls.

But that’s junior tennis: learning fairness, resilience, and how to deal with decisions you don’t like.

Taek‑Won Do, Stamina & Coaching

Our son currently holds a yellow belt with a white stripe in Taek‑Won Do. This weekend’s grading was for the next belt up.

His Taek‑Won Do training is with Evolution Martial Arts in Taunton. He is coached by Katie Stone, who is the current European Champion in power breaking.

Evolution Martial Arts website: https://evoma.co.uk/meet-the-team/

What’s Next?

No more tennis tournaments now until October – giving us time to work on stamina and technique.

In the meantime:

– Today brought a Taek‑Won Do grading (for the next belt up) – still settling in to the new standard.
– Tomorrow brings a cross‑country race at King’s College, with most of his tennis friends taking part – my wife will be reporting from the sidelines for that one.

Never a dull moment in the sporting life of an U9.