The 'Universal Tennis Ranking' (UTR) event was held in lieu of the usual Katherine Open event in May, cancelled for this year due to COVID-19.

Over thirty players took part in the unconventional event over the weekend, with the lower grades allotted based on merit rather than age or gender as customary.

While the event overall held a communal and social vibe, the Men's and Women's Open divisions were hotly contested with elite talent from around the Territory.

Katherine Tennis Club committee member and event organiser Greg Dickson said events in our town always draw top talent as players enjoy the experience of visiting our region.

"They come down here and they camp, they know it will be a friendly and a social event so they love coming down here," he said.

"We had social doubles evenings, one of which had the youngest entrant take first choice of their partner and so on.

"But with the talent in the Men's division in particular, it's still a competitive event and the skills on display have been really impressive," Mr Dickson said.

The outstanding player of the event was number one ranked NT player Andrew Politis.

Politis took out the Men's final in barnstorming fashion in straight sets to cap the event, while the outstanding Emily Webb took out the premier Women's division.

Another of the event's highlights was the performance of 11-year-old Rafael Fulmanski, who made the final of Division Three against fully-grown opponents.

While Rafael was eventually stopped by Kyle Booker, his cool, collected demeanour and mature shot-play left onlookers excited for future successes.

Rounding out the winners in Division's Four and Five were Alexander Lee and Erin Willoughby.

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