Garden’s Tennis Club has a new Benalla men's singles champion after a gruelling 2025 final was played on Saturday afternoon in front of a crowd of 40 tennis lovers in perfect weather.

A high quality match was expected between the 2024 tennis champion Michael Levy and former Collingwood footballer and all-round sports star Mark Beers.

Both overcame strong opponents in their respective semi-finals last weekend, culminating after a month of qualifying matches between the 12 entries.

The open men’s final did not disappoint.

Both players were in good form and used their strengths to get on top at times throughout the match, but overall Beers’ composure and ability to hang in points and eventually counter-attack Levy’s hard-hitting with brilliant lobs and perfect placement gave Beers the championship.

The gruelling final ended in a second set tie-break with Beers reigning supreme 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) to win his first Benalla Open Men’s title after only recently moving to the Benalla area.

The younger opponent threw everything at Beers all match. When he hit them hard, Beers took Levy’s power and used the energy in the ball to hit straight back at his opponent.

When needed, he also showed great touch hitting perfect deep lobs to reset and ultimately win many points where Levy had looked in control.

Beers’ court coverage, touch and power all impressed his more fancied opponent.

“I watched some of his qualifying pool matches and his semi, I knew he could seriously play,” Levy said post match.

“But honestly his level against me in the final was superb.

“I maybe made a few mistakes, my backhand wasn't perfect, but I felt at times like the only way I was going to beat this guy today was if I played near perfect.

“He played brilliant and he moved so well, I mean even on match point I thought I had the point won.

“Such a critical point at 6-5 in the breaker, I hit a couple of heavy balls and had him moving around, I sent a deep and hard forehand wide to his forehand corner, I had him under pressure.

“But he not only got to my ball, he timed it beautifully right back to my backhand almost on the baseline line, I mean, hats off to him, he played almost every point perfectly for two sets.”

Ironically, Levy had part persuaded Beers to play the five-week tournament after Beers filled in at Gardens social comp one night. Initially not interested due to his golf commitments, Beers eventually gave in to the Gardens Tennis Club president’s persistence.

“I actually only decided to play the Benalla Singles Championship because I’ve been struggling to win anything at the golf club, so I thought I’d try tennis again after 30 years out of it,” Beers said after his tough win.

It was an extremely impressive return to tennis for the son of Brian Beers, who played AFL with Collingwood and Fitzroy, and also played competitive tennis and eventually became the general manager of Tennis Victoria.

Levy had to play his best to even progress to this year’s final, fighting his way past the extremely talented and equal pre-tournament favourite, Joaquin Severgnini, 6-3 7-5 in one of the previous week’s open semis.

Severgnini grew up playing high level tennis in Argentina and decided to enter this year’s Benalla Men’s Championship along with fellow countryman Javier Kisielus.

Severgnini and Kisielus moved to the Benalla area for work on NG Solar’s Goorambat site.

Beers’ semi-final had been against the unique and rapid riser Canadian Ramey Hengen.

Hengen, who works at the Benalla Library, has been playing the best tennis of his life, and had already bundled the much fancied Kisielus out of the open division, but was no match for Beers’ all round game in the semi.

Severgnini and Hengen faced each other in a curtain raiser to the open final with the pair playing each other for the first time in the third place play off.

Severgnini can clearly play high level tennis and his heavy topspin and fitness ultimately proved too much against Ramey.

This years Plate Final (Division 2), pitted young local talent Patrick Neilson against that other Argentinian talent Kisielus.

Neilson’s form has been a little up-and-down recently and the body hadn't been feeling great, and Kisielus delivered his best match of the tournament to win in straight sets.

The 2025 Women’s Singles Open Final will be between the hard-hitting Kate Campbell and last year’s young defending women’s champion Meg Cooke.

The pair has qualified past the pool matches and straight to the final. A date for the women’s championship match is yet to be announced, but will be at the Gardens Hardcourts Tennis Club and is likely to be on Saturday, May 24.

Benalla’s 2025 under-21 championship is yet to start, but will be fought out with great spirit between Meg Cooke, Patrick Neilson and Joe Boyd.

All competitors are capable now of producing great tennis and on their day any of them are genuinely capable of winning the 2025 title.

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Monday, 3rd February 2025

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