The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

OUR top-ranked junior tennis players Sydney Clarke and Donte Armbrister had mixed results yesterday at the International Tennis Federation’s Trinidad Summer Bowl in Trinidad & Tobago.

Clarke, the top-seeded player, advanced to the quarter-finals of both the girls’ singles and doubles with partner Morgan McCarthy, while Armbrister got ousted in the boys’ singles, but he is still alive in doubles with partner Freddie Ridout from Great Britain.

In her singles’ quarter-final, Clarke faced a long-time friend and previous doubles partner Tangia Riley-Codrington from Barbados. Clarke beat the No.7 seed Riley Codrington 6-0, 6-2. In the Junkanoo Bowl at the National Tennis Centre in July, Clarke and Riley-Codrington reached the quarter-final of the girls’ doubles.

Clarke, who also lost in the quarter-final in singles here, will now face No.3 seed Audrey Moutama from France in today’s semi-final.

On Tuesday, Clarke, who got a bye in the first round, won her second-round singles 6-4, 6-1 over Morgan McCarthy, whom she teamed up to play with doubles.

In their quarter-final match yesterday, Clarke and McCarthy pulled off a 6-0, 6-1 decision over Riley-Codrington and Sanaa Hewitt, also from Barbados, to advance to the semi-final. Today in Trinidad & Tobago, Clarke and McCarthy will face the top-seeded team of Sifa Butcher from the US and Gabrielle Leslie from Barbados in their bid to advance to the final.

Last week in St Vincent and the Grenadines, Clarke and Mia Yabuta of Japan won the doubles title. Clarke got eliminated in the semi-final in singles.

On Tuesday in Trinidad & Tobago, Clarke and McCarthy won their first-round match 6-0, 6-0 over Aralia Blackman and Kryshelle Cudjoe from Trinidad & Tobago.

As for Armbrister, seeded No.4, he lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to American qualifier Aidan Kim yesterday. Tuesday, he won his second-round singles in identical scores of 6-3, 6-3 over Grant Lumkong from the USA.

Teaming up in the men’s doubles, Armbrister and his Great Britain partner, Freddie Ridout, playing as the No.3 seeds, easily disposed of the combo of Dunstan Leslie from Trinidad & Tobago and American Grant Lumkong 6-0, 6-1.

Today, Armbrister and Ridout will play the top-ranked team of Christian Kuehne of Switzerland and Maxine Mareschal-Haty of Canada to earn a berth in the final.

Armbrister and Ridout took care of their first-round match on Tuesday 6-1, 6-3 over the Trinidad & Tobago’s duo of Sebastian Byng and Nicholas Ready.

Following this tournament, Clarke and Armbrister are expected to travel to Antigua & Barbuda to complete their month-long tour of the Caribbean to participate in the St John’s Tournament.