January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Young tennis players vow revenge after defeat by old-timers
The older boys sparkled like a fine wine, whitewashing their younger opponents 7-0 in the annual over 35s v under 35s Men's Doubles tournament.
Elbow Beach coach David Lambert, who continued his excellent record in the tournament with another victory, said the win had been down to some smart doubles play from the old timers.
He said doubles was about the mental game, using the court and thinking tactically.
"Some of the young guys are very athletic and hit the ball very hard, but it's not all about that in doubles.
"You've got to use the court and dominate at the net. I think the younger guys need to play a bit more doubles and maybe get in training with their partners earlier. Doubles is a completely different game and not everybody realizes that."
In the early encounter Number Seven seeds Larry Samuels & Dennis Harris overpowered Chris Powell & Ron Ganzon 6-3, 6-2.
Then Number Six seeds Earl Leader and Yves Doyon defeated Chris Dougherty and Paul Mosquera 6-3, 6-2. Long time participants and number five seeds Lambert and Eldon Daniels thrashed Vaughan Burrows and Paul Simons 6-1, 6-2 while number four seeds Brent Smith and Mark Cordeiro also pulverized the young duo of John Masters and Frazer Moore 6-2, 6-3.
Courtland Boyles and Stuart Smith soundly defeated number three seeds Paul York and the youngest player of the event, 14-year-old Matteo Frazzoni, 6-2, 6-0.
The most enthralling matches of the day featured the number one and two ranked teams. The capable partnership of Sri Lankan, Samitha Ranaweera and Jacob Trott (Under 35's) seeded two, failed to capitalize on a 4-1 lead in the deciding tie breaker, subsequently losing their match to the experienced and talented brothers of Michael and Billy Way, 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 (tie-breaker).
Furthermore, in the most absorbing match of the day, Bermuda's number one junior player, and Davis Cup participant, David Thomas and his partner Romar Douglas (also a Davis Cup player), were narrowly defeated by doubles specialist Roger Marshall & David Jenkins; 6-3, 0-6, 10-8 (tie-breaker).
The competition is the brain child of long time Bermuda Lawn Tennis Federation event organizer and player, Mr. William Way. It was inaugurated in 1970, as a friendly competition between top junior young adults versus the 'slightly' older but no less gifted tennis generations. Additionally, the event's theme is "high level tennis played in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere."
All in all, the competition appeared to have been played in a good competitive spirit, although the majority of the younger players expressed the sentiment that next year will be theirs for the taking.[[In-content Ad]]
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