That is the question on the tongues of the Parkes tennis community before Club Championships semi-finals and finals are played this Sunday.

In last year’s final, Luke defeated Jake Magill in two very close sets and the pair could very well meet in this year’s decider.

Luke will meet big serving Adam Parker in the first semi-final while Jake will have to overcome wiley veteran Geoff Leonard in the other.

Widely regarded as one of the most talented in the current crop of players, Luke has been conspicuously absent from the match courts in recent months.

Parkes Tennis Club president Helen Magill believes his match with Parker will be a tough one and may come down to how Luke handles his lack of preparation.

“Luke is a very talented player as we all saw last year,” Magill said.

“His final with Jake Magill was top quality.

“Luke’s preparation has not been ideal this year which may give the other players a better chance.

“I still expect him to come out and hit the ball cleanly and be a very tough opponent.

“How he handles that lack of match practice will be a key aspect of his matches.

“Adam will be hard to get past.

“He has a big serve which when it is on song, is very hard to return.

“He is supremely fit and I expect him to give Luke a very tough semi on Sunday morning.

“Adam’s chances could depend on minimising his errors,” she said.

More than 30 years separates the two opponents in the other semi-final and Geoff Leonard will need all of his added experience to overcome last year’s runner-up Jake Magill.

A very smart player, Leonard draws a lot on his squash background to manoeuvre his opponents around the court.

“Geoff is a very crafty player who gets the ball back in play all day,” Magill added.

“He is very strategic and attempts to wear his opposition down.

“Geoff takes a lot of the pace off the ball, making the younger players have to generate their own speed.

“Jake is in pretty good form though and will be a tough contest for Geoff.

“Jake is working hard and continues to chip away.

“If he can get past Geoff in the semi, he has a good chance of going all the way.

“All four semi-finalists have what it takes to be Club Champion,” she said.

The B grade mens final will feature two consistent performers with Brenden Weekes taking on Brad Parker. 

Brad has been finding some form in the night comp and is talking his chances up on the back of some positive results this term. 

The younger and perhaps fitter Brenden Weekes will be keen to add to his mens and mixed doubles titles in previous years and will fight hard to the end. 

If Brenden can find the middle of the racquet more often than not, he may well have the edge on Brad.

The B grade ladies final will be between two of the Club’s most promising junior talents in Georgia Sideris and Abbey Kennedy. 

Both these youngsters have made huge improvements to their games this year. 

Georgia and Abbey are hitting partners and are seen at the courts most afternoons and Saturday mornings, carving out their technical skills and working on tactical approaches to the game.

Georgia will go into the match the favourite, but Abbey is a determined competitor and will be chasing everything down in an attempt to force Georgia into error.

Ladies A grade may be interesting with challenger Marcia Scally boasting her tennis prowess on social media in recent times and she will be keen to follow up on her winning run when she takes on defending champ Helen Magill. 

Marcia has been hitting the ball well, but will have to be at her absolute best if she is to push the old guard off her mantel. 

As time goes on, match strategy certainly comes into play and this will be the case with two fierce competitors going hard at opposite ends of the court.

Semi-finals of A grade mens and finals of all other events will commence at 10am on Sunday. 

The final of the A grade mens will be after lunch at approximately 2pm, depending on the length of the semis matches.