The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SYDNEY Clarke ended her International Tennis Federation Summer Tour falling short of winning her first singles title and another doubles crown.

“I would have liked to get at least one singles title, but I couldn’t ask for a better tour since this was my last in the Caribbean as a junior,” said Clarke of the month-long tour that started in St Lucia and continued in St Vincent and the Grenadines and then Trinidad & Tobago.

“My goal was to at least leave each island with something and I think I did that after St Lucia. I made the finals in the final three tournaments, although I didn’t win any of the titles, except for doubles in Trinidad & Tobago. So I was pleased with my play. Each week I got better and I didn’t let the results get me down.”

As the top-seeded player in each tournament, Clarke, competing along with Donte Armbrister at the J5 St John’s Under-18 Tournament in Antigua and Barbuda last week, lost 6-2, 7-6 (4) to No.2 seed Jennifer Kida from the United States of America in the singles final on Friday.

“I fought through the injury,” said Clarke, who had her left thumb wrapped from an injury she sustained earlier in the week. “I played as best as I could with it. I had to concentrate a little more and be more consistent and forced my opponent to make more mistakes as she did against me. I eventually caught myself, but it was a little too late.”

Clarke came back and teamed up with Sira Butcher of the USA, but they lost to 6-2, 6-3 to Jade Marie and Audrey Moutama from France. Clarke and Butcher, coming off their victory together in ther last tournament in Trinidad & Tobago the week before, were the top seeds and Marie and Moutama were No.3.

“My partner was really nervous and that kind of affected the results,” Clarke said. “It was a team effort and both of us made mistakes, but we made a lot of errors at the net in critical points when we needed to win.

“In the first set, we won the first game, but we just didn’t have any rhythm after that. In the second set, we started off strong, but my partner just wasn’t there today.”

Donte Armbrister and partner Freddie Ridout, playing as the No.3 seeds, lost to the top-seeded team of Maxime Mareschal-Hay from Canada and Stian Klassen from Netherlands 6-2, 6-3 in the semi-final round.

Mareschal-Hay and Klassessen went on to win the title with a 6-4, 3-6 (10-4) decision over No.2 seeds Richard Mallory of Bermuda and Ellis Short of the USA.

With the Caribbean Tour over and done with, Clarke said she intends to come home and take a break to recuperate from the thumb injury before she plays again in October or November. The junior career for her and Armbrister will be completed in December.