Pringle and Grimley expected to meet in singles semi-final at U19 Nationals

Top seed Adam Pringle faces a difficult challenge if he is to reach the final of the U19 boys’ singles at the National Junior Championships in Motherwell this weekend.

That’s because joint third seed Matthew Grimley is likely to be standing in his way in the semi-final after today’s draw pitted them in the same half.

Second seed Joshua Apiliga is likely to have to overcome the other joint third seed Callum Smith in the semi-finals, although Alastair Campbell, Lloyd Holland, Jack MacGregor and Harry Mobey, as joint 5/8 seeds, will all be aiming to cause problems for the top four players.

In the boys’ doubles, Grimley is aiming to become the first person to win the trophy four times, having won the title with brother Christopher for the last three years running.

But with Christopher missing the Nationals this year to compete in the Youth Olympic Games, Matthew teams up with Jack MacGregor in his bid for four-in-a-row.

Apiliga and Pringle are seeded second in the doubles but they will have to work hard for the right to face Grimley and MacGregor in the final, with Callums Flockhart and Smith as well as Michael McGuire and Danny Robson in the bottom half of the draw.

If there is to be a rematch of last year’s girls’ singles final, top seed Rachel Sugden and second seed Lauren Middleton will have to overcome joint third seeds Lindsey Ireland and Rachel Cameron respectively in the semi-finals.

Sugden and Alice Campbell are likely to be the pair standing in the way of top seeds Middleton and Sarah Sidebottom in the girls’ doubles semi-final with Rachels Andrew and Cameron, the second seeds, their likely opponents in the final.

Middleton, partnering Jack MacGregor, also faces a difficult route to the final of the mixed doubles with Apiliga and Sugden, McGuire and Campbell and Grimley and Sidebottom all potential semi-final opponents.

In the top half of the draw Pringle and Andrew have an opening round bye before facing the winner of the match between Antony Waring and Hannah Wallace and Fraser Sheriff and Rachel MacLean.

In the U15 events, boys’ singles top seed Angus Meldrum has been drawn in the same half as Anthony McGuire with Shaun Aamir and Grant Lewis in the bottom half of the draw.

Meldrum is also top seed in the boys’ doubles with Logan Ireland and they receive a first round bye, whilst second seeds Lewis and Finlay Sheriff will face Thomas Lygate and Scott MacKenzie in the first round.

Brooke Stalker and Keryn Swan will open the defence of their girls’ doubles title against Amy Craig and Ella Haime and in the bottom half of the draw Iona Muir and Eva Tremble open against Sophie Ford and Katie Stewart, with a potentially difficult semi-final against unseeded Mary Kong and Vibha Raman in the offing.

Swan will have to beat Tremble in the first round of the girls’ singles if she wants to progress, whilst Stalker faces Ashley Donald in her opening singles match.

A competitive mixed doubles sees top seeds Lewis and Kong drawn in the same half as joint 3/4 seeds Logan Ireland and Sophie Ford, with second seeds McGuire and Stalker and joint 3/4 seeds Meldrum and Zoe McInnes in the other half.

The U15/19 National Junior Championships will be held at Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility on 6 & 7 October 2018.

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