18 June 2025 | Tennis Victoria

On Friday 13 June, we celebrated the Australian Team Championships Victorian Teams Presentation Night at the National Tennis Centre.

The afternoon brought together the best junior tennis talent from across the state, selected to represent Victoria in the 11/U, 13/U, and 15/U age groups. The event kicked off with all players participating in an on-court session alongside their respective coaches. Following the training session, each player was proudly presented with their team uniform. The afternoon concluded with the official presentation led by Tennis Victoria CEO Kim Kachel and Head of Play Sam Watson, before Tournaments Coordinator Thomas Floyd provided an overview of the tournament logistics for the week ahead.

We caught up with Zoe Hives, who is coaching the 11/U Girls team. Zoe, who has had an impressive playing career herself, is eager to share her experience with the next generation. She says coaching the team “is just going to be so much fun” and that she is “so excited to help these young girls.” Having “been there and done it” herself, Zoe believes this is a wonderful opportunity to pass on her knowledge and help guide her players both on and off the court.

We were also lucky enough to catch up with Novak Palombo, who is part of the 13/U Boys team. Reflecting on his recent tennis success, Novak shared how pleased he is with his current form and performances. He explained that his “goal for next week is to have a lot of fun but also not lose a match,” which he acknowledges is ambitious but says he backs himself to achieve it.

Novak is also one of six recipients of a scholarship through Australian pro Alex De Minaur’s De Minaur Foundation. He described the experience as incredibly valuable, noting that he has had the opportunity to travel with Alex, who has provided him with plenty of helpful advice on court and even his personal phone number, which Novak points out “is very cool!”.

Speaking at the event Tennis Victoria CEO Kim Kachel commended the players on their selections into the teams remarking that “it is always an incredible honour and a privilege to represent your region, state or nation. Congratulations to all the athletes who have been selected to represent Victoria. We know each player will pull on the Big V uniform and wear it with a great sense of pride, building on the legacy of those that have represented Victoria in the past and acting as role models for the younger players coming through. It is incredibly aspirational to represent Victoria and these athletes have already achieved so much.”

To read more about the Australian Teams Championships and access the full Victorian teams list please click here.

11 GIRLS
Darcy Basist
Scarlett Lucaci
Lola Fromberg
Coach: Zoe Hives. Australian Team Championships VIC Presentation Night on Friday, June 13, 2025.

11 BOYS
Gavy Dhindsa
Maximilian Weis
Oliver Baker
Coach: Matthew Gregory. Australian Team Championships VIC Presentation Night on Friday, June 13, 2025.

13 GIRLS
Esther Meng
Talia Mirzayeva
Kenzy Hussain
Coach: Madison Sanders Australian Team Championships VIC Presentation Night on Friday, June 13, 2025.

13 BOYS
Christopher Manton
Thaadhie Karunanayake
Novak Palombo
Coach: Des Tyson. Australian Team Championships VIC Presentation Night on Friday, June 13, 2025.

15 GIRLS
Isabel Cairns
Aurelie Kostova
Bianca Hristov
Coach: Beti Sekulovski. Australian Team Championships VIC Presentation Night on Friday, June 13, 2025.

15 BOYS
Raphael Savelli
Lachlan King
Jenson Yokota-Ho
Coach: Trent Constance. Australian Team Championships VIC Presentation Night on Friday, June 13, 2025.