Simoncini overcame a horror start to the women’s AMT final to claim the Riverina Open for the first time, 0-6, 6-2 10-5.

It took a super tiebreaker to decide the final but the 15-year-old number one seed held her nerve to defeat fellow young gun Grace Bruce, of Lane Cove.

“That was pretty tough,” Simoncini said.

“Obviously going down 6-0 in the first set, you don’t feel great. I was just thinking new set, start again.

“But yeah it’s very difficult to turn it around sometimes but I managed to do that and get on top in the second set and take that one comfortably.

“Then going into the super, it was all about clear mind and get the first hit.”

Simoncini raced out to a 4-0 lead in the super tiebreaker and never looked back.

The pint-sized Canberrian put her turnaround down to all above the head.

“I definitely had a clearer mind, played with more shape, tried not to match her with power because she’s a powerful girl,” she said.

“Just stick to my game and make more balls basically.”

The pair have a history and only recently played against each other at a Newcastle tournament, where it went down to the wire as well.

“That was quite close as well. I ended up winning 10-7 in the super tie,” she said.

The Riverina Open title meant quite a bit to Simoncini.

“It’s my first AMT title so yeah it’s pretty exciting,” she said.

“I mean, losing the first set 6-0 and coming back to win it, you know, there’s some passion there.”

Wagga’s Stacey Elliott went down to Simoncini in the semi-final, 6-4, 6-1, while Bruce accounted for Griffith’s Grace Townsend 6-0, 6-0 in the other semi.

Curran teamed up with Brenda Foster to take out the women’s doubles title, 6-3, 6-1 in the final.

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