By Tamica Garnett
Category winners of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Open Tennis Tournament were on Monday night presented with their prizes in a closing ceremony held at the tournament venue – GBTI Recreational Centre, Bel Air Park.
The tournament featured approximately 60 players in seven categories and prizes were presented to the first and second place winners of each category.
In the senior singles categories, Jeremy Miller and Carol Humphrey earned the top spots of the men’s and ladies singles, respectively. Kijana Lewis was the runner-up in the men’s singles, and Krystal Sukra in the ladies.
Sukra again took runner-up position in the girls singles category behind the number one seed, Shawna Gentle.
In the boys singles division the top spot went to number one seed Gavin Lewis while the runner-up position went to Daniel Lopes.
Sukra’s final second place position was in the ladies doubles where partnered with Nicola Ramdyhan.
They were beaten by Humphrey and Thi Fernandes.
Miller and Sukra were lauded as the two best performing players for the tourney. Both players competed in three categories, and though Sukra walked away with second positions in all of her categories, Miller accomplished much more.
After nine matches in three categories, Miller, with two firsts and a runner-up position emerged the most successful player of the tournament. Apart from the men’s singles, Miller competed in the men’s doubles with partner Jason Andrews, and in the mixed doubles where he teamed up with Gentle.
To add to his list of commendable records Miller, at age 18, is now documented as the second youngest player to ever win the men’s singles category of this tournament topped only by Marvin Jeffrey who had won the title in the 1990s when he was 17-years-old.
Miller gave the tournament a merited close when he took the men’s singles category after crushing Kijana Lewis 6 -0, 6 – 1, on Saturday in the tournament’s last match. Miller and partner Jason Andrews took the men’s doubles title on Thursday night defeating Leyland Leacock and Gilbert Barckoy.
In the mixed doubles Miller and Gentle took second to Shelly Daly-Ramdyhan and Godfrey Lowden.
The tournament, a collaboration between the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association and the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry, began on June 11 and lasted for two weeks.
The tournament was conducted on the tennis courts of the GBTI Recreational Centre, and marked the return of the competition after 17 years.
Representing GBTI, Assistant Manager, Sean Noel, in his remarks at the closing ceremony, expressed the company’s joy in renewing their collaboration with the GLTA.
He also noted that the bank was looking forward to solidifying their support of the sport and building a long-term relationship with the GLTA.
President of the GLTA, Christopher Ram in his address thanked GBTI for its immense support.
