Paul aces title win

By Paul Pickering
AS IF running Pakenham’s new multi-million dollar tennis complex wasn’t enough, Cranbourne East’s Paul Kleverlaan somehow found time to pop over to Mexico and win a world seniors title.
The Pakenham Regional Tennis Centre manager and teaching professional combined with Queenslander Chris O’Mara to win the men’s double 40s division at the Seniors World Individual Championships last month.
Kleverlaan and O’Mara – mates and regular playing partners over the past five years – were unseeded for the event, but took the title on the back of a giant-killing run.
“It was a real buzz,” he said last week.
“Playing against the world’s best, the standard is always tough, because you’ve got a lot of guys that are former ATP tour players – some of them ranked as high as 100.
“And along the way we beat the number one, two and three seeds, so that’s pretty rare as well.”
They won the final – against American Morgan Shepherd and German Christopher Bloemeke – in straight sets, 6-4 6-4.
It was a case of third time lucky for Kleverlaan, who competed in the same tournament in South Africa in 2006 and in Spain last year, progressing to the second round on both occasions.
The doubles victory capped off a busy fortnight for the 40-year-old, who made the quarter-finals of the singles and also represented Australia in the Seniors World Team Championships the previous week.
He is now back on court at the new Pakenham facility, while also continuing his teaching rounds at Casey Tennis Centre, Casey Fields, Pearcedale and Cranbourne tennis clubs.
Kleverlaan has been the president of the Tennis Seniors Association of Australia for the last 18 months.