BERBICE’S Godfrey Lowden left some of his best tennis for the final when he teamed up with Omar Persaud to defeat Carlos Adams and Wayne Alphonso in a tense and competitive three sets, to win the final of the Men’s 45 Doubles in this year’s Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GTA)-organised Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry-sponsored Open Tennis tournament. Lowden used his trademark heavy spin serves and with Persaud, they were able to pressure the Adams/Alphonso combination from the outset where they took the first set 6-3, when the action continued at the GBTI Bel Air Park courts last Tuesday night.
They continued their excellent play and pushed to a 5-2 lead with Persaud to serve for the match, but a spirited fightback from Adams and Alphonso, who broke both Persaud and Lowden’s serve, won for them the next 5 games to take the set 7-5 and force the deciding super tie-break.
The teams then battled evenly in the tie break up to 4-4 before Lowden and Persaud coasted to victory by winning all the points 10-4.
Favourites in the Mixed Doubles category and former college players Anthony Downes and Rebecca Mitchell progressed to the final of that category, after defeating Sandeep Chand and Thi Fernandes in their semi-final encounter.
Downes and Mitchell showed their vast experience as they dictated the points with good ball placement and high kicking topspin shots to keep their opponents off balance.
Chand and Fernandes had their chances in the first set, including a 0-40 lead on Downes serve but in the end could only convert one game as Mitchell and Downes took the set 6-1 and the second set easily after controlling the game, to coast to victory and book a place in Saturday’s final against the pair of Lowden and Carol Humphrey.
In the other match played Steve David Longe booked a place in the Men’s 35 Singles when he coasted to a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Mohamed Rafeek and will now play Mario Naimatalli in the final this weekend.
Among the matches scheduled for today are the Men’s Singles semifinal which will see the winners of the Downes/Chand matchup play either Leyland Leacock or Gilbert Barckoy, and top seed Jeremy Miller versus Gavin Lewis.
Both Downes and Miller have been the two dominant players in the tournament and a rematch of last year’s final is eagerly anticipated among local tennis enthusiasts.