NATIONAL tennis player Shemar Britton was last Tuesday night, crowned the inaugural champion of the South View Tavern (SVT) Knockout Tennis Challenge which was hosted at the entity’s location at Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt.

The 16-year-old Britton, who recently won the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) season opener, was outstanding throughout the night, winning five games on his way to the summit where he defeated his national counterpart Stefan Corlette 3-0, with the scoreline reading 11-6, 11-5, 11-8.
Earlier in the semifinals the eventual champion defeated another national player, Nigel Bryan, three games to one (3-1), with his earlier victories being recorded against two more seasoned players in Joel Allen and Jody-Ann Blake while the third was against a wildcard.
Britton won against Allen and Blake, 2-1 and 2-0 respectively, as the preliminaries were played on the best-in-three scale.
Meanwhile in the other semifinals, Corlette demolished former national player Dwayne Gibson 3-0 to enter the final.
After claiming the title, Britton said he is elated at his achievement, noting it was gained through his mental strength. “It’s a sense of relief but of course I’m happy that I’ve won. The win was a test of my concentration more than my natural skill to play,” he explained.
Proprietor of SVT, Dillon Griffith, said it was nice to have an abundance of Guyana’s top talent on show at such a short notice adding that the competition is a monthly one and interested individuals can get involved in the activities.
In addition he said as the competition evolves, his entity will sponsor one of the talented players, who possesses the skill to reach the top, before handing Britton his top prize of $20 000 and a case of drinks of his choice, compliments of August Beverages.
According to Griffith the competition has been shifted to the final Tuesday in each month, but invited tennis players to play a part in SVT’s weekly games which are scheduled to be held every Tuesday night.