The Tribune

By Brent Stubbs

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FROM completing the junior ranks as the top player in the country to emerging as the Giorgio Baldacci National open champion, Sydney Clarke could ask for no better way to end 2018.

Having added the International Tennis Federation’s Goombay Splash title in between her local triumphs, Clarke sent a message to her local rivals that she’s going to be a force to reckon with in 2019.

In the final of the Giorgio Baldacci National Open on Saturday at the National Tennis Centre, Clarke easily disposed of collegian Sierra Donaldson to snatch the ladies’ crown with an emphatic 6-2, 6-3 win. “This one feels better than the last one actually,” Clarke stressed. “This is the end of the year, I closed out strong by winning the title. It’s just a great feeling.”

Clarke, an 18-year-old student at the Albany Academy, played for this one too. She fell behind 2-0 to Donaldson, who got the initial break in the first game.

But Clarke, who advanced to the final with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Perjae Major in the semi-final, kept her composure as she broke Donaldson for a 2-2 tie and did it again to go up 4-2 and to win the first set 6-2.

In the second set, Clarke reversed the start by going up a break 2-0. Donaldson, who earned her berth in the final with her 6-3, 6-1 win over Afrika Smith, got her big break to take a 3-2 deficit.

From there, Clarke managed to step it up with another break for a 4-2 lead and they held serve the rest of the match. Clarke’s big serve enabled her to close out the game, set and match.

“I played very lacklustre in the match. At times, I was up and down,” Clarke reflected. “I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself because I felt fairly confident. I wasn’t too overconfident, but I was able to be patient, positive and just take my time with my shot.”

Clarke said she felt the intensity coming from Donaldson so she tried to take care of business as quickly as she could. Her only regret in the tournament was that she didn’t get to face either Kerrie Cartwright or Danielle Gibson, both of whom pulled out of the main draw over a dispute in the seeding of players.

“It was kind of sad that I didn’t get to play them, but hopefully next year I will because my goal was to beat one of the top players to really prove where my game is right now,” Clarke stressed.

“Not playing any of them kind of brought my game down a little. I knew if they were there, they would have pushed me and make me work that much harder.”

Clarke said she is going to enjoy this moment and celebrate it with her parents, Bernard and Shavonne Clarke, who have been there pushing along every step of the way.

As for Donaldson, the 18-year-old freshman at Lee University, she felt she gave it her best shot, but it wasn’t enough to enable her to get past the Bahamian hottest female player right now.

“I felt it was a good match. I felt I competed very well,” Donaldson said. “Sydney played much better, but I thank her because she is making my game that much better.

“I still have some more things to improve, but overall it was a great match. I just need to work more on my forehand and my movement to get in certain places so that I can be able to hit the ball. She took advantage of those mweaknesses that I had.”

Like everybody else, Donaldson said the withdrawal of some of the top players from the main draw had an effect on the rest of the tournament.

“There were some issues with the tournament and it did affected me mentally, but I had to put it aside and focus on myself as I continued on,” he pointed out. “I just want to go back to school and improve on my game.”