A local tennis star is competing in national circuits and occupying the top five in provincial-level leaderboards.
So far, Calvin Thalheimer has competed in fourteen elite tournaments, collecting three championship victories with four semi-final berths and a finals appearance during his 2018 season.
His first year in the U18 division has been fruitful for the 17-year-old, under the teachings of coach Joachim Nierfeld.
Thalheimer has played, and succeeded in, numerous events including the Richmond Tennis Club's Outdoor Selection Series #3 where Thalheimer cleaned house, taking victories in both the singles and doubles draw.
Thalheimer went on to win doubles at the Davis Trading U18 Junior Outdoor Provincial Championship with a semi-final finish on the singles side.
The Okanagan product represented the valley with Team BC at both the indoor and outdoor nationals as the only member from the Okanagan.
In his inaugural year of U18 competition at the Rogers Outdoor U18 Nationals in Mississauga, Ont., Thalheimer and partner Raul Dobai reached the semi-finals after a surprise upset over Justin Boulais, the second-ranked Canadian powerhouse who went on to win the singles draw, and Nicolas Ocana-Lavoie (7-5, 1-6, 10-7).
However, the duo were cut short by hot-handed Taha Baadi and partner Alex-Antoine Marquis (6-2, 6-4).
The efforts of the rising star have set him as the #1 ranked player for the entire northern, southern and central Okanagan — also moving up in the provincial rankings from #10 (in January, 2018) to #5 in July.
Thalheimer's scope is now moving towards the coast as he prepares for two international qualifying events held back to back in October 2018 at the North Vancouver Tennis Centre and the Panorama Recreational Centre in Victoria, BC.
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