Gavin Lewis emerged as the new men’s singles champion after winning all of his round robin group matches as the Assuria Invitational top four tournament organized by the Guyana Tennis Association ended Thursday night at the Le Ressouvenir Tennis Club.
Lewis defeated Daniel Lopes in his final round robin match winning 6-3, 7-6 (6-2) in a tactical game which showcased Lewis’ adept lobs and passing shots. Lewis also stole the coveted best performance trophy from Carlos Adams last year’s winner.
The best performance trophy is determined by the executive and is based on the ratio of total games won to games lost among other criteria.
The ladies singles round robin event was won by 15-year-old Nicola Ramdyhan who easily defeated Jamaali Homer 6-4, 6-1 before defeating
13-year-old Afruica Gentle 7-6, 6-4 in one of the best female matches in recent years.
In the men’s O35 singles final, Adams played a tactical game to eke out a three set win 6-7, (5/7) 6-4, 10-8 over Berbician veteran champion Godfrey Lowden.
Adams dropped the first set as Lowden set the pace with sharp angles even as both players traded passing shots. However in the second set, Lowden, who seemed to increase the pace of the match, also increased his unforced errors.
Adams broke him at 4-4 and won the next game to close the set. In the super tiebreak third set, once again both men held serve until Lowden, who edged up to 6-5 seemed to have lost his concentration after a disputed baseline call which would have taken him to 7-5.
However, it was Adams who maintained his composure to win the final four points to win the set and the title.
At the closing ceremony, Assuria Insurance representatives, Acting General Manager, Mr. Yogindra Arjune and Operations Manager Clyde Muntslag, said that they were pleased with the outcome of the tournament.
Muntslag congratulated the GTA for a well-run tournament and reminded the organisation that Assuria was here to stay and that the company intends to uphold their corporate responsibility to organisations such as the GTA that provide great opportunities for youth.
President of the GTA, Ramesh Seebarran expressed his profound gratitude to Assuria and commended the organisation for their commitment to a tournament of such high calibre which he said has already grown within a year.
He thanked the players for the discipline and effort they put towards a successful tournament of great quality and urged young players to continue to do more strength training to prepare for international tournaments.
Tournament Co-ordinator Andrew Sawh stated his appreciation for a three weekend tournament that was highly competitive and thanked the Barakat family and the Le Ressouvenir Tennis Club for the provision of the lighted facilities to host the tournament. Participants were selected for their past performance and rankings especially over the last year.
