Manders advances to finals

Local tennis star Gavin Manders has qualified for the College Table Tennis National Championships.

At the ACUI Regional 9 tournament, featuring representatives from larger universities such as Notre Dame, Purdue and Indiana, Manders got through the round robin stage and made his way to the semi-finals of the event.

His reward is an opportunity to attend the Nationals in Rochester, Minnesota, scheduled for April 14-17.

However, he will require financial assistance to participate in Rochester.

"I'm looking for financial help to play Nationals, something I've had problems with even with my tennis, so I'm hoping I can find a way to get there," he said.

While Manders continues to train in (lawn) tennis, he takes pride in performing well in table tennis.

Pressure

He said: “I play table tennis for fun, but do take it seriously when I do play. I hate losing and give everything I do 100 per cent.

“It was just something for me to use to get my mind ready for pressure situations that I will face in tennis this summer. Something I pride myself in is stepping up on the biggest occasions."

Asked about any particular skill-sets that easily translate from tennis to table tennis, Manders replied: "Eye hand co-ordination is one of the main skill-sets that translate, and strategies such as keeping the opponent off balance and working their weakness are other things I take from tennis."

While Manders is not involved in tennis competition for now, he is looking to be in the best shape in a long time when he returns to Bermuda in the summer.

One of his goals is to make the podium at the Island Games.