The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IT wasn’t the final that Donte Armbrister anticipated, but he will put a cap on his junior career with a semi-final appearance in the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s hosting of the International Tennis Federation’s Goombay Splash International Tournament.

Playing as the No.3 seed at the week-long tournament, Armbrister wanted to leave an impression on the home crowd in the stands on Friday at the National Tennis Centre, but he fell short in his boys’ semi-final singles, losing 6-4, 6-2 to Chile’s top seed Matias Gaedechens.

“It’s always good to play at home. It was nice to finish my junior career in a tournament in my backyard in front of the fans,” Armbrister said. “I really appreciate all of them who came out and cheered me on. I just wished that I could have won to get into the final.

“It didn’t work out, so I just have to move on to the next level.”

Gaedechens, who was ranked at 571 in the world, came back on Saturday and played through form as he clinched the title with a 6-3, 6-2 decision over American Cooper Williams. On Thursday, Williams ousted Bahamian No.2 seed Jacobi Bain 6-4, 6-1 in their quarterfinal match.

Bain, 15, did avenge the loss as he teamed up with William Kesterson from New Zealand as the No.2 seed to secure the boys’ doubles title with a 6-3, 6-3 decision over the American duo of Yannik Rahman and Cooper Williams.

Also on Thursday, Sydney Clarke, plying as the top seed in the girls singles, got eliminated in her final match as a junior as well when she fell to American Sophia Wang 7-5, 6-3. Wang advanced all the way to the final where she eventually was whitewashed by fellow American No.2 seed Brooklyn Olson 6-0, 6-0 for the title.

It was a doubles dose of victory for Olson as she teamed up with Sage Loudon, also from the United States of America, as the No.2 seeds to pull off the girls’ doubles crown with a hard fought 6-1, 3-6, 10-8 victory over Wang and her fellow American team-mate Artemis Pados.

Armbrister, in his final match as a junior, gave it his all and at times, was prepared to go the long haul, but hampered by a shoulder injury to his left side, the southpaw could not prevail in his third appearance in his career in a semifinal round in a tournament.

“I was a little shaky in the first set, going down 3-0, but I was able to pull myself back into the match at 4-3. I had a chance to tie it up, but I just didn’t capitalize on the opportunities,” said Armbrister, who was ranked at 835 in the world. “Then in the second set, I started off good.

“I was holding my serves. Both of us were holding our serves. But it was a point that made a difference, up 3-0 where I lost my focus for a bit and it caused me the match.”

Next month, Armbrister will be back on the court when he participate in the BLTA’s Georgio Baldacci Invitational at the National Tennis Center, which will also serve as a trial for the Bahamas Davis Cup team. Having won the trials and earning his first spot on the team last year, Armbrister is looking forward to an encore, playing against the senior elite Bahamian players.

“I’m hoping to make the team again and then after that, I’m looking forward to playing college tennis,” said Armbrister, now in the 12th grade at Temple Christian Academy. “I just need more match play to be able to get myself ready for certain situations where I know what to do and what not to do.

“So I am glad that I got these matches in, so hopefully I can use that in the trials and I can come out on top again.”

The tournament, supervised by Mickey Williams, attracted about 80 players 80 players from 12 countries with the majority coming from the United States of America. Most of the players are headed to the USTA Orange Bowl, scheduled for December 9-15 at the Frank Veltri Tennis Center at the Plantation Central Park in Plantation, Florida.