Kelowna teen Calvin Thalheimer has laid claim to his first national tennis title.
The Okanagan Mission Tennis Club member captured the Stanley Park Open U16 singles title July 14 in Vancouver.
The event was the first of four tournaments this summer on Tennis Canada’s National Junior Open Series.
Competing in a draw featuring 64 players from across Canada, Thalheimer, 16, was dominant throughout the tournament going undefeated.
Thalheimer defeated No. 2-ranked Stefan Mitrovic in the semifinal, before rolling to victory in the final in straight sets (6-1, 6-0).
The win pushes Thalheimer’s national ranking up 10 spots to No. 27 in Canada and locks him in at No. 3 provincially for U16 singles.
The victory also earns Thalheimer an automatic berth in the 2017 Under 16 Rogers Outdoor Junior Nationals in Gatineau, Que., Aug. 20 to 27.
Thalheimer has been busy in 2017, travelling regularly to Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary and Montreal to compete in tournaments.
He currently trains at both the Global Fitness & Racquet Centre and the Okanagan Mission Tennis Club.
Thalheimer’s next action is at the Interior Open, Aug. 3 to 7 at the Okanagan Mission Tennis Club.
Thalheimer is heading into his Grade 11 year at Immaculata Regional High School where he was named the junior male athlete of the year for 2016-17.
