The Guyana Tennis Association (GTA) along long-standing sponsor GBTI on Tuesday rewarded the winners of the recent GBTI/GTA lawn tennis tournament at GBTI’s Lawn Tennis Court and facilities, Bel Air, Georgetown.
Headlining the list of awardees were Gavin Lewis and Afruica Gentle who both served their way to championship honours in the male and female Open categories. The two were triple crown winners after clinching championship honours in the doubles and mixed doubles categories.
It was Gentle’s third time completing the feat while it was Lewis’ maiden Open and triple crown haul.
Speaking with Stabroek Sport after the simple ceremony, 23-year-old Lewis, who recently returned from a scholarship stint in the US, revealed that his accomplishments are the fruits of hard labour.
“It’s a good feeling… I’ve been training from March to the beginning of the tournament and I was expecting stiff competition given the fact that I was randomly placed in the draw where I had to face the defending champion in the quarterfinal but I managed to win and I’m satisfied with my performance,” Lewis said.
The young man further disclosed that he is aiming to pursue his master’s degree in Italy where he will also get the opportunity to continue playing the sport at a competitive level.
Lewis, who defeated the defending champion Anthony Downes in the semis, said he was appreciative of GBTI’s continuous effort to develop the sport. He also encouraged more youths to get involved in lawn tennis.
Gentle, on the other hand, who was the overall female MVP having won three titles, said she was confident of producing top performances from the go.
“I knew it was coming. I was preparing for it. Unfortunately, last year I didn’t get to play because I was ill but this year I said I’ll win because I’ve put in a lot of work and dedicated myself to this,” the 18-year-old Roraima Tennis Club player explained.
Gentle will not turn her attention to the international tennis action; she is set to depart Guyana tomorrow to participate in two lawn tennis tournaments in Jamaica – the Blue Mountain International Tennis Championships and the International Tennis Federation Tennis Championships.
Meanwhile, Pamela Binda, Public Relations and Marketing Director of GBTI, said the company is committed to sponsoring the tournament for the next decade.
