Duke, Cartertop round-robin

TOBAGO’S Akiel Duke and teenager Aiden Carter continued their winning form at the Bmobile National Tennis Championships and kept their eyes on national team selection for the upcoming Davis Cup with back-to-back wins in the second round yesterday.

Action continued at the National Racquet Centre, Tacarigua, with Duke and Carter ending the day as the only two unbeaten players in the men’s competition and on top of the second round round-robin.

Duke opened proceedings with a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 victory over Adam Ramkissoon, several hours before he shot to the top of the eight-player standings with a 7-6, 6-4 win over Nabeel Mohammed. Carter, meanwhile, continued his brilliant run with comprehensive victories over Nkrumah Patrick (6-1, 6-3) and another teenager and a win-less Scott Hackshaw (6-3, 6-2), which also saw the 2018 Tranquillity Open champion move to a joint-top spot in the round-robin.

Before losing, Mohammed made a bright start with a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1 win over the previously undefeated Richard Chung, while Dexter Mahase also enjoyed an early win, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 over Hackshaw, before losing to Ramkissoon (7-5, 6-1) in the later session.

The National Championships’ women’s competition and Fed Cup qualifiers, which is also being run in a round-robin format, began yesterday morning with Anya King dominating her contest against Victoria Koylass with a 6-1, 6-1 win, while Soizette Simmons also eased past Yin Lee Assang, 6-2, 6-3.

Later, Abigail Jones played her first match and won, dropping Koylass to her second defeat via a 6-1, 6-2 result.

The tournament continues today and will run until Sunday. The national teams for the Davis Cup and Fed Cup will subsequently be announced. Breanna Stampfli and Yolande Leacock are automatic picks for the women’s team which will challenge Americas Zone Group II next year. Three players and a reserve will be announced following the men’s championship.