By BRENT STUBBS
Senior Sports Reporter
bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
IT wasn't what Sydney Clarke, nursing a thumb injury, anticipated after she fell short of winning another title in the finals of both singles and doubles at the International Tennis Federation's Trinidad Summer Bowl.
On Friday, however, Donte Armbrister teamed up with Great Britain’s Freddie Ridout to win his first doubles title since 2016 in St Vincent & the Grenadines. The number three seeded team knocked off the No.4 seeded team of Alexandru Bucurescu from Romania and Oscar Lacides from Guadeloupe 3-6, 6-1, 10-8.
The number three seeded team knocked off the No.4 seeded team of Alexandru Bucurescu from Romania and Oscar Lacides from Guadeloupe 3-6, 6-1, 10-8.
"It feels good winning my first doubles title," said Armbrister, who like Clarke played in the third consecutive tournament on their four island summer tour of the Caribbean.
Armbrister said he and Ridout put together a string of victories that culminated with the final where they played their best. "It was a good match," said Armbrister, who noted that they got off to a slow start in the first set, but managed to pick it up in the second set. "In the tie breaker, we were down 2-0, but we tied it up. We went up 9-8 and we held on for the win."
For Armbrister, the youngest member of this year's Davis Cup team at age 17, said after he got ousted in the quarter-final of singles, he was delighted to go all the way and win the doubles crown with Ridout.
As he heads to Antigua & Barbuda with Clarke this week to wrap up the trip, Armbrister said he's hoping that his success in Trinidad & Tobago will carry over.
"Hopefully, I can walk away with two trophies," he said. "This is my last year and as a junior, but I remembered when I was 14 and I played my first tournament in under-18 as one of the youngest players.
"Now I'm one of the oldest players playing against a lot of the younger players. I think the opportunity that I had to play on the Davis Cup has helped me to learn what to do in pressured moments and how to keep my composure."
If he can just close out his matches when it counts the most, Armbrister said he's confident that his final tournament as a junior this week could be a memorable one.
Clarke falls short
After suffering a slight injury to her left thumb in her semi-final doubles, Clarke admitted that she was not at full strength going into the double treat in the singles and doubles final on Friday as well.
Clarke, the top seed, lost 6-0, 6-2 to No.4 seed Cadence Brace from Canada.
And in doubles, she and her American partner Morgan McCarthy lost to the No.2 seeded team of Jade Marie and Audrey Moutama from France.
"Today was just a funny day," Clarke said after her matches. "I had to play one-handed because I injured my thumb in the doubles the day before. I played well as I did the best that I could under the circumstances.
"I could have been a little more consistent and play a little more at the net or come to the net more. But I did the best that I could. I was pleased with the way I played with the injury."
In her singles, Clarke admitted that Brace was quite aggressive and she took control of the match early.
"I tried to stay in the point as long as I could, but she was in a rhythm and she was really confident, so she was hitting a lot of her shots," Clarke said. "She dominated with her forehand and I tried to counter attack that, but it didn't work out as much as I expected."
After getting a medical timeout in the second set, Clarke was able to pick up her momentum, but Brace had the edge and held on for the win.
"We had a lot of ads and deuced points, but because she was ahead, she won the match," Clarke stated.
As for the doubles, Clarke said she and McCarthy played as well as they could. Both teams traded the lead as they eventually split the first two sets. In the tie breaker, the Canadians managed to slowly pull away to secure the win.
With her trip to Antigua & Barbuda this week wrapping up her summer tour with Armbrister, Clarke said she would like nothing better than to come out with a title or two.
"I just hope to be fully recovered from the thumb injury," she said. "If I don't have to play on the first day of the tournament, that would give me the extra time to recuperate.
"But if I have to play right away, I will go out there and give it my best shot. I really want to win another title and end my junior career on a high note."
Clarke will go into the Wadadli Bowl that starts today in Antigua & Barbuda as the top seed in the girls' singles, ranked at No. 382 in the world as a junior. Armbrister will be seeded No.4 with a 963 ranking.
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