A Ballarat tennis prodigy, who impressed at a national competition this month, has been selected into a junior national team.
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James O'Sullivan turned heads after winning six of seven matches at the national school's championship competition the Pizzey Cup.
The performance earned him selection into the School Sport Australia Tennis All-Australian Team, and subsequently elevated his ranking to number 25 in the country.
The selection came as a surprise to the 16-year-old who said he was the only Victorian to be selected. He told The Courier it felt really good.
"It came as a surprise that I was able to win most of my matches considering the team didn't do as well," he said.
"I had some good company with some very good players in Australia."
O'Sullivan was one of six players from the Victorian team who played singles competition at the tournament. Not many challenged the teenager who won four of his matches in straight-sets before falling to New South Welshman Michael Zhang.
O'Sullivan said the experience gave him an indication of how he measured up against the nation's best.
"Being able to play them was good to see where I'm at in Australia," he said.
"They're very good players and are ranked very highly, and to be able to beat them means I'm playing alright."
The good thing about tennis is you're always in the game, and you can always come-back no matter how far you're down.
- James O'Sullivan
The performance could be a preview of things to come for the tenth-grader who has enjoyed a steady climb up the ranks since he first took up the game at age nine. Modelling his game off professionals such as Roger Federer and fellow Australian Alex De Minaur, O'Sullivan said his forehand is his big strength.
"I like to get into the net, so after a big forehand I might try to approach the net and be aggressive, but I'm also quick around the court and I can chase down balls," he said.
"The good thing about tennis is you're always in the game, and you can always come-back no matter how far you're down."
Currently training twice a week in Melbourne and playing men's pennant for Kooyong, O'Sullivan said he wants to take tennis as far as he can.
And it might be far.
Buninyong Tennis coach Peter Joyce, who has coached O'Sullivan since he was nine can give a good indication. Having coached professional female player Zoe Hives as a junior, Joyce said O'Sullivan is one of the best junior boys he's coached.
"He's always worked hard, but he's a very good athlete, and he's a very studious kid," he said.
"He is fast moving and relies on his speed and ground-strokes."
