Louis Hull and Suzanna Thompson were the 2023 Huddersfield Open Tennis champions for the men’s and women’s sections respectively.
Both players are on their individual journeys to succeed in the sport but both believe the Huddersfield tournament is a key competition in their calendars and a prestigious event to win.
Louis, 15, of Thongsbridge, and Suzanna, 14, from Cheshire, both have high ambitions to make it to the very top. Louis successfully defended the title he won last year.
Suzanna won the tournament at under-8 level when she was just eight. Now she has gone on to win the open championship at just 14.
Louis’s dad Paul said: “Since Louis last won this competition he’s looked to get on the ranking ladder. To do that he has had to progress his skills up to a certain level which he has now done. He has got a world ranking of 2,000.
“His aim by the time the Huddersfield tournament comes around next year is to have broken into that top 1,000 figure and I believe he can do it.
“It will take a lot of hard work and he will have to be consistent when it comes to doing well in competitions both here in the UK and in Europe. We are all behind him.
“The Huddersfield tournament has got a very good reputation not just locally but nationally too. People come from all around the country to play in it.
“It’s nice that a local lad like Louis can win a tournament. He’ll definitely be taking part next year and hoping to defend his title again to make it a hat-trick.”
Suzanna also loves the Huddersfield tournament and mum Zoe Thompson said: “Huddersfield is one of the competitions that has a very good reputation. Suzanna loves playing in this tournament because she has competed in it every year from a young age and won the under-8s.
“Suzanna eventually wants to go over to the US to play tennis in some of the best colleges over there. That’s her aim to learn the sport over there and then come back here and compete and play at the highest level she can.”
Images by Huddersfield Hub photographer SEAN DOYLE
