Anthony Downes and Jason Andrews retained their men’s doubles title after defeating Gavin Lewis and Daniel Lopes in the final of the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA)/ Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Open Tournament at the GBTI Recreational Facility on Tuesday night. .
Downes and Andrews completed their victory in two sets after cruising to 6-1 in the first and taking the second 7-6 overcoming a solid defence by Lewis and Lopes. It was the fifth consecutive title for Andrews who partnered with Jeremy Miller for the first three and Downes for the other two.
In an invited comment to Stabroek Sport, both Andrews and Downes said that they were confident that they would have reclaimed the title. According to Andrews, it was a competitive match and his team had a good start and executed some excellent volleys to claim another title. Downes, who is set to migrate to a Caribbean island to raise the bar on his game to reach the professional level, said that though the second set was more competitive, he believed his team should have closed the match earlier.
On Sunday, Lopes and Lewis booked their place in the men’s open doubles finals with a win over Phillip Squires and Godfrey Lowden. The fierce battle which took place on centre court ended 6-3 7-6 in favour of Lopes and Lewis. The duo mesmerised spectators with their aggressive approach and swift exchanges which produced an early break. Nevertheless, the seasoned Lowden and Squires fought back to level with some tactful and crafty play. However, after a 4-3 lead Lewis and Lopes steamrolled into a first set win of 6-3.
The second set seemed to have reversed the fortunes of the first. Lowden and Squires broke Lewis on the first game of the second set. However, he and his teammate were able to break Squires’s serve after five deuces. Lopes lost his service game after two double faults at critical junctures of his game. 2-2 set the stage after Lewis ripped a down-the-line back hand, passing Squires and snagged the doubles sideline.
At this point there were seven breaks and Lowden/Squires had the lead at 4-3. Lowden served a love game to take a 5-3 lead and all signs indicated that it would go to a third set. Lopes and Lewis saved two set points. They crept up to 5-5 to take it to a further heart pounding game. Lopes/Lewis made first jump to lead 6-5 on Lopes serve. The veteran Lowden then served another love game to put it to a sudden death at 6-6 and a tie break. The tie break ended in 7-3 to the dynamic young players giving them the match at 6-3 7-6.
In the men’s singles, Jason Glasgow took a 6-1, 6-4 win over former national player Benedict Sukra who has returned to the court after a long hiatus. Glasgow was spot-on with his powerful serves and forehand. Both played with passion and determination.
Meanwhile, Anthony Downes and Rebecca Mitchell who were a strong combination, made easy work of their first set (6/0) against the mixed double pair of Jason Andrews and Afruica Gentle. They took the second set 6-1 to reclaim the mixed doubles title.
In the Novice Medley Doubles Jamal Goodluck and Tandy Primo faced Kizzy Richmond and Charles Adams in the semi-final but were outplayed resulting in a 6-4 win to Richmond/Charles. They set up a final showdown against Robert Bostwick and Orande Dainty after the pair edged a 6-3 win over Denise Barrington and Philbert Clarke.
The finals ended with a 7-5 win to Bostwick/Dainty over Adams/Richmond. It was a heart racing finals with the momentum switching at points of the matches. However, Bostwick and Dainty were able to keep their nerves under control and took the 2014 Novice Medley title.
Friendly rivalry
In the Boys’ Singles division, number three seed Jordan Beaton clashed with his doubles partner Heimraj Resaul in the quarterfinals. Resaul who made it to the semis in an under-12 tournament held in Antigua showed a high level of consistency and variety in his shots and managed to grab the first set 6/4. In the second set, Beaton went up an early break and showed that his defence tactics can carry him through the match. With a few unforced errors from 12-year-old Resaul, Beaton displayed more aggression later in the second set and took full control from that point on. Beaton sealed the deal with a 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 win. The rivalry and competitive spirit reflected a similar display by Lopes and Lewis.
In the boys’ semis, number one seed Khalif Gobin overpowered the youngster, Mark McDonald. McDonald contested well, but Gobin’s aggression was too much to handle as the match finished with a final score of 6-2, 6-3. In the other half of the draw, number two seed Craig Campbell had a great deal of opposition from 12-year-old Beaton. Campbell had been dominant in his previous matches and was yet to drop a game.
However, it was different in this match. Beaton had a great start; aggressive on both wings and took control in the first set 6-1. In the second set, the youngster looked a bit relaxed and Campbell wasted no time capitalizing on that. He sailed through the second set 6-0. In the third set, Campbell took an early lead, with a few lengthy rallies, he went up 9-5 in the super tie-break. Beaton managed to save two match points, but Campbell held onto his game style to win 1-6, 6-0, 10-7.
Gobin won the title of the Boys’ Singles after he rallied through a three-hour- match against Craig Campbell to close the game off at 6-4, 6-7 and 10-7 in the super tie break. It was surprising that both could stand after a great match played in the heat of the day.
