A thrilling showdown is promised at the finals of the Distinction Hotels Te Anau Tennis Invitational today.

Some of the biggest names in New Zealand tennis are gathered in Te Anau for the annual tournament, with yesterday’s matches providing some world-class for a very appreciative crowd. Up to 350 people went along to the Fiordland Community Event Centre courts yesterday – the biggest first day crowd in the event's history.

In the last match of the day, former French Open doubles champion Michael Venus took down the tournament’s defending champion Finn Tearney in a tiebreaker third set 6-2, 6-7, 7-6. He’ll now go up against four-times champion Rubin Statham in today’s final. 

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Both players are undefeated at Te Anau.

Today’s action starts at 10am with the playoff for 7th and 8th place between Alex Klintcharov and Rubin Statham’s twin brother Oliver. The brothers played each other yesterday, with Rubin taking the win 6-3, 6-4. Klintcharov met Venus in yesterday’s games, where he was defeated 6-4, 6-4.

Eighteen-year-old Anton Shepp will meet Isaac Becroft in the playoff for 5th and 6th places. Shepp beat Oliver Statham 3-6, 7-6, 6-3 yesterday, while Becroft was beaten by Finn Tearney 6-4, 6-1.

Tearney will play Ajeet Rai in the decider for 3rd and 4th places. Rai beat Shepp 6-4, 6-2 yesterday. 

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First held in 2013, the Te Anau Tennis Invitational has become an important New Zealand tennis fixture, allowing New Zealand’s top men to have three hard matches before taking on the New Zealand and Australian Opens in January. It’s also an important fundraiser for the sport locally and has resulted in a huge surge of interest in the sport in Fiordland with many young players now coming through.

The Te Anau event is even more important for this year’s invited players because the New Zealand Open in Auckland has been cancelled, due to the Covid-19 situation and international travel restrictions. The Australian Open, usually held in mid-January, has been pushed back to the beginning of February. It will be played in Melbourne.