WHITEBRIDGE'S own Rhys Searant has been crowned a state tennis champion.
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Searant, 16, took out the 18-and-under boys' singles title against Sydney's Wilson Hou at the Junior Development Series NSW State Final in Richmond this month.
It was Searant's second state title, after having won the 16-and-under boys' singles last year.
He said the win was special as he had contested the series every year since he was 10 and this year was possibly his last due to a change in age rules.
Searant's win, despite a restricted tournament program due to an elbow injury and study commitments, signals he is on the rise as one of Lake Macquarie's most promising tennis stars.
In July he won the under-18 doubles and made it to the finals of the under-16 singles and doubles at the NSW Country Championships in Forster.
Two months before, Searant contested the Australian Money Tournament and got through to the semi-final round in the open men's singles and doubles.
He has also played at national level before.
Last December he took on the Australian championships in Melbourne but bowed out in the qualifying round.
Ranked number 260 in the country across all ages, Searant will recontest the nationals this year, same time and place.
He is confident another year's experience will see him closer to the podium.
All of this is the culmination of nine years of tennis.
Searant first picked up the racquet when he was five, playing for Whitebridge Tennis Club before he moved on to Lake Macquarie Tennis Centre when he was 11.
About a year ago Searant started training under the guidance of coach Trudi Musgrave at Lakelands Tennis Club, where he remains.
He attends Gosford International Tennis School, where he completes his study requirements and spends an intensive two hours a day in tennis coaching.
Searant hopes to make his mark on the Australian tennis circuit as a player or a coach.