THE final night of competition in the 2017 KIA Independence Tennis Open belonged to veteran player Vernon Lewis and teenager Meggan Williams following another successful staging of the tournament held at the National Tennis Centre.
Lewis and Williams left nothing to chance as they breezed past their opponents in straight sets.
In the men’s singles final, Lewis continued to defy the odds where age was concerned as he defeated SirseanArlain 6-0, 6-2. Lewis, 51, and a former OECS champion and Davis Cup player, made light work of Arlain with a series of long rallies, lobs, backhand, forehand and drop shots on either side of the court.
Arlain, however, never got his range on what could be considered a fast-paced court. He had 7 front and 4 back winners, three approaches on the net, 1 default and 4 aces throughout the match. At the end of the encounter, he admitted that he needed to play more competitively and said Lewis would face him again.
“I have a lot of respect for Sirsean,” Lewis told The VOICE. “He is a great opponent with lots of experience and has played the Davis Cup. I am happy I was able to win in straight sets.”
In the ladies’ open final, Meggan Williams breezed past the hard-hitting Dara Sidoine in straight sets, winning 6-1, 6-3 to retain her title.
Williams and Sidoine also teamed up in the ladies’ doubles to defeat Scyla Murray and Iesha Emile in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.
In the girls under-14 final, NadjemaMorille defeated Aviona Edmund in straight sets.
Two of Saint Lucia’s elite players in the boys’ 14-and-under category, Aidan Bousquet and Maxx William, were again in battle on centre court for the championship. Bousquet, being the more skilful player, was almost overwhelmed by William’s hard-hitting and consistent winners and groundstrokes. Williams, however, was unable to pull it together and Bousquet went on to win in three sets.
In the boys’ 14s doubles, William and Bousquet defeated Joey Angeloni and Jordan Hunte.
In the other mixed doubles, Maxx and Meggan William got the best of Iesha Emile and Ricardo Francois. The brother and sister mixed team were all over the court and seemed very relaxed and well-coordinated in all points played and won. Francois and Emile, however, were very competitive, but could not convert that energy into victory. The William duo won 6-2, 6-2.