Katikati 11-year-old tennis star wins national clay title

Katikati youngster Kristiana Hutcheson has claimed her first national junior tennis title, winning the Tennis New Zealand 12u Girls Kiwi Clay Championship in Martinborough. The home-schooled 11-year-old said the clay surface made for tricky conditions — the ball bounces higher and the surface is slippery underfoot — but she pushed through to take the crown.

Kristiana only picked up a racquet at age nine during the school holidays, yet she has already won more than 40 tournaments nationwide. Last year alone she won over 20 events, and in 2026 she has continued that form by winning the Tennis Northern Junior Tournaments Sunday Series Girls Singles (competing in the 16-and-under grade), the Wairarapa Summer Open 14-and-Under Girls Doubles, and both the 12-and-Under Girls Singles and 14-and-Under Girls Doubles at the Tennis Manawatū Tier 3 and Manawatū Open.

She plays under Tennis Western Bay and has been developed by Bay of Plenty coaches Peter Blow, Paul Bell, and Christophe Lambert. Her mum, Kristina Hutcheson, has also helped coach her daughter and said the national title confirmed they were on the "right pathway". "We're not from a tennis background — we've had to make a lot of mistakes to find the right opportunities, so when she won a national title, everything seemed to be locking into place," she said.

Kristiana's own ambitions are clear: she wants to turn professional, keep competing on the tournament circuit, and eventually make it to the top of the game. "I just have to keep on persevering, keep going, and I will eventually make it. I have the right team and support with me," she said.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).