Auguste brothers win ITF Tranquillity Masters doubles title

UNSEEDED brothers Dion and Collin Auguste produced the shock of the ITF Tranquillity Masters (MT 100) last weekend, beating the top two seeds en route to the men’s doubles 45 crown.

The Masters tournament ended at Tranquillity Tennis Courts, Victoria Avenue, on February 25, ahead of the ongoing Open tournament at the same venue.

Dion, 53, and Collin, 45, revived their successful doubles partnership after an extended lull, making easy work of their opponents, second seeds Robert Caesar and St Lucian McCollin Fontenelle, 6-0, 6-4 in a lopsided final.

Fontenelle had earlier defeated second seed Richard Mc Letchie 6-2, 6-0, in the Men’s Singles 45 final.

Collin, speaking with Newsday after Sunday’s doubles final, credited their families’ support, his forehand, and the sibling chemistry for their success.

“We do have a good understanding,” Collin said, celebrating the win.

“The final was pretty intense but we did get that pep in our step, and we knew if we had (beaten) the number one seed – we had the number two seed (too).

“We (dominated) the first set and I would attribute that to crisp and adept volleying (from Dion), and clinical serving and forehand shots from me.”

The Auguste brothers, three-time successive Chetwynd over-35 doubles champions, went the distance in the semifinal a day prior and eventually got past top-seeded favourites Kendall Cuffy and Richard McLetchie with a dramatic 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 victory.

“The semifinal win gave us the confidence to take on and beat the second seed. The semifinal was much tougher,” he explained.

The Augustes entered the semifinal with a 6-3, 6-4 win against Ralph Attong and Nicholas Sellier in the first round.

Dion, a former “Tranquil” Masters 45 singles champion, sat out of the singles challenge this year.

The brothers have long been successful doubles partners. They boast three successive Chetwynd over-35 doubles crowns, among other titles.

Dion is a singles veteran and plays consistently, whereas Colin has been off the court for an extended period.

Collin told Newsday he only returned to the court last weekend after his brother persuaded him to challenge the event.

On February 25, Fontenelle cruised his way to the Men’s Singles 45 title, beating McLetchie, 6-2, 6-0, in the final, following straightforward wins against Orville Adams in the semifinal, Andy Boyce in the quarterfinals, and Mukesh Ramsingh in the first round.

Farrah Chautilal became the new women’s singles 35 champion, after being the first- and second-seeded players in the semifinal and final respectively.

Chautilal won the final by defeating second-seeded Savitree Singh 7-6(5), 6-2. On Sunday, Chautilal was even more ruthless, crushing top seed Catherine Campbell 6-1, 6-1.

Neil Lingo also upset the order, beating the top seeds to win the men’s 60 title. Lingo beat Athelstan Phillip 7-6(1), 7-5, on February 25, a day after similarly beating number-one ranked Raffeek Mohammed, 7-6 (5), 7-5.