SURINAME take a six-point lead into today’s second and final day of the Inter-Guiana Games Tennis Tournament. At the end of 36 matches in three divisions – Suriname totalled 60 points, six more than host nation Guyana on 54, with the defending champs – French Guiana on 45.

Suriname won 18 games, Guyana 16 and French Guiana two games on the day, with doubles matches set for today, at the end of which a champion will be crowned.
Matches were played at the GBTI Courts in Bel Air and Diamond as well as the Harry Panday Court, also in Bel Air. At the Diamond Courts, it was a day of mixed fortunes for Guyana’s Under-14 and U-18 boys.
Only six of the eight singles matches were possible on the courts due to a rain delay and a lack of lights at the facility, as heavy showers battered the venue and lasted for just over an hour, before the first served occurred at 08:30hrs yesterday.
When play was finally possible, Daniel Lopes in the Under-18 division gave Guyana their first victory for the day, outplaying his opponent from French Guiana – Clement Gaumont – to register the first point for the locals.
Khalif Gobin, another Guyanese competing in the Under-18 class, lost his first match to Dani Sampson of Suriname, but redeemed himself in the final match of the day, when he defeated French Guiana’s Kevin Cothnet, one of the late come-back wins by the Guyanese on the opening day.
Playing under lights in Bel Air, Lopes fell to Joshio Lor (SUR), while in the Under-14 class, Keenan Persaud lost both his matches, first to Sergi Calor (SUR) and as light faded, to Lilian Briot (FG), with Guyana’s other Under-14 player Mark McDonald also going down to Sale Geer (FG) in the other match.
After a simple but exciting gathering on Thursday’s opening ceremony day, the players threw the gauntlet down and started a heated competition similar to the Davis Cup in the round robin rules, where the first and second seeded players played their counterparts of the other countries.
The ladies were stationed at GBTI Bel Air Recreational Centre, the Under-12 Boys played at Harry Panday’s residence also in Bel Air Park, while the Boys Under-14 and Under-18 played at the GBTI Diamond, East Bank Demerara club.
Despite the threat of some bad weather, the matches went under way and Guyana launched the attack with a lead over French Guiana and Suriname, with scores and matches being close as the results suggested at the end of the first day of action.
The female star players did not disappoint, with Aretha Dey, Nicola Ramdyhan and Afruica Gentle winning both of their matches, while the younger players Sarah Klautky and Kalyca Fraser won one of their two matches.
The Under-12 boys team of Jordan Beaton and Heimraj Resaul won both their matches, even as Mark McDonald and Keenan Persaud lost both of their matches while Khalif Gobin and Daniel Lopes took one apiece from their two matches.

(Leeron Brumell)