After the dust had settled on an incredible week in Calgary, Regina’s Keegan Rice finished in eighth place overall at the 2018 Under 12 Indoor National Championships. This is the highest placing by a Saskatchewan player in the history of the Under 12 National Championships and the best Nationals result since Jordan Christianson reached the U14 Boys Doubles final in 2005.
Keegan fought hard all week at The Tennis Academy – the U12 Indoor Nationals host club. In the round robin stage of the event, he won all three of his matches, losing only a total of nine games in six sets. This was highlighted by a 6-1, 6-0 victory over #3 seed Sava Uncianschi from Ontario. Keegan came into the group seeded 13th. He then had to win a qualifying match to enter the Championship Flight, which he did over Quebec’s Dani Farran 6-2, 6-0.
Once in the Championship Flight, a draw reserved for the top eight players left in the draw, Keegan’s opening round was a true battle. In an incredible match against Matthew Dubas from British Columbia, Keegan came up just short, losing in a third set tiebreak 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). Keegan then closed out the week playing off against two Ontario players, losing both matches, but in very tight sets. This secured his 8th place finish overall.
Tennis Saskatchewan is incredibly proud of Keegan and all the hard work he, his coaches, and his family have put in to achieve this result. The future is bright for one of Saskatchewan’s most promising young players!
The 2018 Under 12 Indoor Junior National Championships took place at The Tennis Academy in Calgary, Alberta from March 24 – 30, 2018. For a full list of draws and results, check out the tournament profile here: U12 Indoor Junior Nationals 2018
