… Nicola Ramdyhan, Shawna Gentle contest Ladies’ final

IN the most exciting tennis tournament of the year, the local tennis greats ensure that they emerge out of the masses towards deserving prominence. Former champion Phillip Squires will face his nemesis Anthony Downes in the final of the Men’s Open category while Nicola Ramdyhan and Shawna Gentle will battle for the women’s trophy as the GBTI Open Tennis tournament comes to a close this evening at the GBTI tennis facility in Bel Air.
Squires was off the tennis scene for two years and he spared no effort to remind spectators that he was the one to watch when he ousted old rival Leyland Leacock in straight sets in their highly tactical game, winning 6-3, 6-3.
Downes, one of Guyana’s leading tennis players and highly regarded for this exploits on the court in the Caribbean, made light work of Jason Glasgow winning at 6-0, 6-0 to set up his match with Daniel Lopes on his way to meet Squires for the third time in a highly anticipated Men’s Final.
In the Men’s Doubles Final the pair of Anthony Downes and Jason Andrews held off the young pair Gavin Lewis and Daniel Lopes 6-1, 7-6 to claim the Men’s Doubles title.
In the Ladies’ Double Final, National coach Shelly Daly-Ramdyhan and her daughter Nicola Ramdyhan upstaged the young sisters Shawna and Afruica Gentle 7-5, 6-3 in a tough battle.
The mother-daughter pair took advantage of what could be deemed sibling rivalry on the opposite side of the court, even though the sisters showed great potential as they played excellent points. Nicola Ramdyhan and Shawna Gentle have also earned themselves a place in the Ladies’ Open Singles Final for the first time.
Meanwhile, following the men’s and women’s finals, expected to serve off at 17:00hrs, the presentation ceremony will be held at the same venue where officials from GBTI and the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) are expected to be present.