Leslie, Lawrence, Clarke top Top 8 tennis

Xavier Lawrence sprang the upset of the tournament, as the Barbados Tennis Association (BTA) Top 8 came to a head on Saturday at the National Tennis Centre in Wildey, whilst victories for Gabrielle Leslie and Aidan Clarke were true to the seedings.

Lawrence, 26, defeated Stephen Slocombe in the men’s final, a shocker for many, given that Slocombe had not dropped a set coming into the finale. In fact, he had lost just one game on his way to the championship matchup.

Not only did the 26-year-old Lawrence beat Slocombe, but he did so decisively. The former Prairie View A&M University student-athlete won 6-2, 6-1 to lift the men’s title on Court 1.

The women’s competition produced no such surprises, as five-time winner Gabrielle Leslie made it six in a row, defeating Hannah Chambers 6-0, 6-2.

Upsets and repeat champions aside, there were two closely-contested fixtures on the final day. In the inaugural Roberts Junior Top 8 Invitational Boys Under-16 Tournament, powered by Diadem, Aidan Clarke beat Zane Kirton on Court 5, but only after absorbing the best blows the youngster could throw, 7-6, 0-6, 6-3.

In the men’s third-place playoff, Thomas O’Neill came from behind to beat Xavier Peter-Gooding 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4) in another thrilling encounter.

Before the start of the weekend matches, the BTA held the Toy Drive handover to the National Peace Programme (NPP) for at-risk youth.

In attendance were Corey Lane, Minister with responsibility for Crime Prevention in the Office of the Attorney General, representatives from the NPP, BTA President Craig Smith, and other directors from the BTA.

(TF)