CAESAREAN Tennis Club’s self-titled summer tournament drew to a close last week.
Much to the dismay of local players, the open events were dominated by visitors to the Island in the shape of Isabella Caesar and Charlie Harvey.
Jersey’s Natasha Forrest competed in the event and said: “The tournament was great fun.
“The atmosphere around the club was amazing with both players and spectators hanging around.
“It’s nice to be back on home soil and see such high quality tennis being played.”
Buckingham’s young talent, Harvey, was the star in the men’s events.
He claimed the singles title over top-seed Luca Paciello [1-6 6-4 10-2], as well as the doubles honours with his partner, Jacob Blackler-Rose, over Tommaso Cuomo and Lewis Moore [4-0 3-4 (5) 10-3].
Local favourite Louis Keenan, who is bound to the same US university from which Forrest graduated, had a tough route through the men’s singles.
Keenan progressed relatively unscathed in his first-round encounter over his Jersey teammate Tomas Nadassky [6-1 6-3] and, two rounds later, he came up against the top seed of the event, Paciello.
Paciello and Keenan were no stranger to each other’s games as they had met over Easter in the Caesareans’ club championships where the teenager prevailed in a closely fought game.
Seeking revenge, Paciello came out swinging, to take the first set in striking fashion. However, Keenan managed to quieten the Italian’s thunder as he battled back to claim the second set and force a match tie-break.
With only two points separating them towards the end, the Italian ex-professional proved the stronger this time round [6-2 5-7 12-10] and secured his spot in the final.
The opposite side of the draw was full of upsets as Harvey’s talent shone through the seedings.
The Bucks player overcame the stalwart second-seed, Jeremy Cross, in the quarter-final [6-3 6-4] and his fourth-seeded doubles teammate, Blackler-Rose, in the semi-finals [7-6(6) Retired]
The singles final showcased Harvey’s resilience as he claimed the title despite an emphatic first-set loss.
The doubles side went as predicted as the number one and two seeds met in the final, both overcoming the lower-seeded, yet still strong Jersey pairings in the semi-finals.
Replicating Harvey’s double title success, both women’s trophies were taken by the even younger Isabella Caesar from South Wales. Both finals saw Caesar topple local favourite, Eva Hurst, once for her singles conquest [6-4 6-4], and again with her partner Isabella Lieve Morgan in the doubles over Hurst and her mother Noel [6-3 6-0].
Forrest was the only answer to the Jersey title drought as she secured the mixed doubles win with her partner Marnix Van Dalen, defeating top-seeded pair Scott Weaver and Yasmin Freeman in the semi-final [6-2 6-2] and all-Jersey duo, Rob Hannah and Clare Clarke, in the final [6-4 6-2].
Junior Finals Results
Boy’s Singles18&U: Jacob Blackler-Rose d. Lewis Moore [6-7(10) 6-1 10-5]16&U: Lewis Moore d. Jonathan Le Feuvre [6-4 6-1]14&U: Ace Dorn d. Noah Morgan [6-4 6-4]12&U: Noah Morgan d. William Cross [6-3 6-0]11&U: Zander Archer d. Noah Baghai [6-2 6-2]10&U: Zac Hartono d. Kit Clode [4-0 4-3(6)]
Girl’s Singles18&U: Isabella Lieve Morgan d. Kiana Oliver [6-0 6-1]16&U: Rochelle Oliver d. Kiana Oliver [3-6 7-5 10-8]14&U: Jenina Fu d. Darcey Osborne [6-4 6-2]
Girl’s Doubles18&U: Jenina Fu/Isabella Lieve Morgan d. Kiana Oliver/Rochelle Oliver [4-3(4) 4-0]
Boy’s Doubles18&U: Jacob Blackler-Rose/Charlie Harvey d. Tommaso Cuomo/Lewis Moore [4-0 4-2]14&U: Ace Dorn/Noah Morgan d. Zander Archer/Noah Baghai [4-0 4-3(3)]12&U: Zander Archer/Noah Morgan d. William Cross/Jonty Porter [4-3(5) 4-0]11&U: Zander Archer/Noah Baghai [Round Robin W2 L0]10&U: Kit Clode/Jonny Silberling d. Jayden De Abreu/Jack Steigenberger [4-0 4-0]
Mixed Singles9&U: Zac Hartono d. Danila Vidyaev [7-1 7-1]8&U: Seth Baghai [Round Robin W5 L0]
