THE final round of the Saint Lucia Tennis Association Inc-sponsored KIA Independence Open is expected to be a keenly contested one as a number of players vie for the No.1 position at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) this evening.
The Boys 18-and-under final will serve off from 4:00 p.m. when Maxx William plays Aidan Bousquet two of Saint Lucia’s leading junior tennis players.
At 6:00 p.m. the Men’s singles final will be between SirseanArlain (head coach for Tiger Tennis) and Vernon Lewis (head coach of the NTC), two former Davis Cup players.
The Women’s singles final will feature 2016 female tennis player of the year, Meggan William, and the ever-improving and hard-hitting Dara Sidoine. The two players have known each other pretty well on court; in fact, later on in the evening, they will team up in the Girls Under-18 Doubles.
In the mixed doubles semi-final, Eshem Edward and Scyla Murray will play Clent Mitchel and Dara Sidoine while brother and sister, Maxx and Meggan William, will team up to play Iesha Emile and Ricardo Francois.
In the Girls 18-and-under doubles final, Dara Sidoine and Meggan William will take on Navit Isaac and Netanya Faissal.
Meanwhile, in the Boys 12-and-under final, Orlando Augustin defeated Arden Rosemond in a two-hour match with both giving it their all. Augustin won the championship for the first time, bringing his national ranking to No. 1. Augustin had never defeated Rosemond before at any national championship.
In the Girls 12-and-under category, JorjaMederick maintained her No.1 position as she safely secured the championship by defeating Alannah Bousquet in straight sets.
Former champion and national ranked No. 1 player, Lewis, defeated Keric Duval in the second semi-final of the men’s singles open. Duval, with a shoulder injury, played a tough match against Lewis but was unable to come through for the final.
Arlain defeated national junior elite, Maxx William, in the men’s open singles category in the semi-final round of competition. William made his way through to the Boys 14-and-under and 18-and-under singles and doubles final. He was very confident throughout the match but more experienced and overpowering Arlain made what seemed to be difficult very easy, defeating William in straight sets.
In the men’s open doubles final, Glenton Evans and Clent Mitchel from the Southern Amateur Tennis Club succumbed to SirseanArlain and Mario Gittens’ technique and top class tennis skills in straight sets. The two were the finalists from last year and were very confident to win this year. Gittens and Arlain are first-time champions of the Men’s Open Doubles category.
Ron Blanchard defeated Jonathan Gladding in straight sets in the Senior Men 45+ Singles final 6-2, 6-2. Blanchard was very relaxed throughout the match, keeping his exposure and making his victory seem easy.
In the women doubles final, Meggan William and Dara Sidoine defeated Scyla Murray and Iesha Emile 6-2, 6-4, bringing their rankings to No. 1 on the island.