Oak Flats’ Dael, Ellen perform excellent tennis doubles act

OAK Flats Tennis Club duo Ellen Perez, 11 and Dael McKenna, 12 teamed up recently to help the South East Region win the NSW under 12s Teams Tennis Titles.

Ellen and Dael were part of the four-member girls squad that won the title, which is played in a similar format to the Davis Cup.

South East Region, which goes from Batemans Bay to Helensburgh, snared its first girls team title in 11 years at the Singleton Carnival, while the South East boys won the under 12s division.

Ellen and Dael went through the tournament undefeated in their individual matches to help South East to victory.

The duo also played in the 2006 teams titles, which are traditionally dominated by the Sydney teams.

They were also selected in the South East side for the under 14s teams championship.

Ellen, from Stella Maris School, has been selected in the NSW PSSA side for the national titles in October.

Earlier this year she made the finals of the under 12s singles and doubles at the prestigious Wollongong Open.

Dael, from Oak Flats High School, recently made the singles final of the South East Regional Championships.

They are so dominant on the local scene they play in Division 1 of the Kiama-Shellharbour District Tennis Association " against the boys.

They train four or five times a week, spending up to three hours on the court each time to hone their skills.

Combined with individual and representative commitments it adds up to a lot of court time.

The duo said the win was their biggest achievement for South East Region.

They would both like to represent Australia and turn pro.

Dael said Russian ace Maria Sharapova was her tennis idol, while Ellen named Spain's Raphael Nadal as her hero.

Dael said she would like to thank her coaches and sponsors Polyfibre while Ellen thanked her coaches and Babolate for their support.