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Assuria Invitational Tennis Classic…Downes and Miller to contest Men’s final
– Lowden leads Over-35 Group
Men’s Singles top seed Anthony Downes was made to fight for a straight sets victory over junior sensation Daniel Lopes, before prevailing 6-1,7-6(7-4) as play in the Assuria Invitational Tennis Classic opened, at the National Tennis Centre, Woolford Avenue.
The opening stanza saw Downes break the young Lopes three times to close out it in 15 minutes.
Jeremy Miller
Lopes, who looked uneasy and out of sorts playing on the quick surface, struggled with his footwork and ground strokes and was completely out of rhythm.
However, he begun to settle in the second set and matched the top seeded Downes stroke for stroke, fighting off numerous break point opportunities to force the contest into a tie break.
This was evenly contested up until the decisive ninth point of the tie break when Downes used his superior experience to serve for the match, which he duly completed successfully.
With the win Downes moves to the top of the Group with three wins following victories over Leyland Leacock, who he battered 6-1, 6-0 and Gavin Lewis, who offered a walkover after suffering from the heat.
Second seed Jeremy Miller had a much easier outing as he easily dispatched Gavin Lewis 6-3, 6-1.
In his opening match up against third seeded Leacock, the marquee matchup of Day 2 action, the clash had to be stopped with Miller taking the first set 6-3, before his opponent retired after complaining of a respiratory problem due to the stifling mid-afternoon heat.
That now leaves the top two seeds to battle it out in the final with the winner to be crowned champion of the Assuria Invitational.
Also suffering health problems due to the extreme mid afternoon heat was Gavin Lewis during his match against Daniel Lopes.
Meanwhile, in the men’s Over 35 Singles, Carlos Adams trounced hapless Harry Panday 6-0 6-1in his opening matchup. However, Berbician Godfrey Lowden leads the group with three wins from three, with victories over Rudy Grant (6-3, 6-0), Harry Panday (6-3, 6-1) and a three-set victory against Mario Niamatalli (3-6, 6-2, 10-8).
Lowden is in a comfortable position to take the Men’s over 35 crown with one game left for him in the bag against the top seeded Carlos Adams.
Anthony Downes
Adams was expected to be in action last evening against Harry Panday from 5:30 at Panday Place in Bel Air Park.
Panday would be going all out for a consolation victory to end on a high note since he currently sits at the bottom of the group with a 0-3 record.
The competition now shifts to the Diamond Tennis Center for the remaining set of matches this weekend.
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