Two weeks of competitive action came to an end on Monday afternoon when the curtains came down on the annual Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Open Tennis championship on the court of the bank’s Diamond branch, East Bank Demerara.
At the conclusion of the on-court play, senior bank officials, executives of the Guyana Tennis Association, players and coaches gathered indoors to reflect on a tournament that was deemed “successful”, having been executed in the midst of a pandemic.
President of the Guyana Tennis Association, Cristy Campbell, who emerged champion of the Ladies Singles, pointed out that “despite the dire impacts of COVID-19” the competition was a success.
“I wish to extend profound gratitude to our partner and friend, the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry for two decades of unwavering support to the development of tennis. It would be remiss of me to not also acknowledge the hard work of our tournament director, coordinators, and all stakeholders who have invested time and effort to ensure the tournament’s success,” Campbell said.
“Congrats to all of the winners; and I must also commend coach Andre Erskine of the Rebel Tennis Club for an excellent programme he’s conducting at the Diamond facilities. Your hard work and dedication are being reflected in your players’ performance.”
Past President of the Association and current Treasurer, Ramesh Seebaran, lauded the Bank for years of being a good corporate entity and commended the financial institution for always supporting the tennis fraternity.
Pamela Binda-Pryce, Marketing and Public Relations Manager of the Bank, said the over two-decade alliance with the Tennis Association has borne fruit, and the Bank stands committed to extending that partnership.
“The bank has seen a consistent rise in the skill of the players and this is testament to the fact that the bank continues to see the benefits of this sponsorship. Each year we also see a lot of younger children entering the competition and we are happy to foster this kind of growth,” Binda-Pryce said.
The 2021 Open saw entrants from Guyana, Mexico and England participating in fierce rivalry throughout the tournament.
At the end of the gruesome battles, Guyanese Cristy Campbell and Mexican Miguel Garcia were crowned champions in the coveted Open Ladies and Men’s Singles respectively. Viraj Sharma and Renola Jordan emerged the Junior male and female champions.
Below are the summarised category results
Men’s Singles:
Winner- Miguel Garcia
Runner-up- Phillipe Jackson
Ladies Singles:
Winner- Cristy Campbell
Runner-up- Renola Jordan
Men’s Doubles:
Winner- Phillipe Jackson/Heimraj Resual
Runner-up- Javed Khan/Kevin Mattai
Mixed Doubles:
Winner- Renola Jordan/Andre Erskine
Runner-up- Cristy Campbell/Gavin Lewis
Over-35 Singles:
Winner- Miguel Garcia
Runner-up- Andre Erskine
Boys Singles:
Winner- Viraj Sharma
Runner-up- Gerald Scotland
Girls Singles:
Winner- Renola Jordan
Runner-up- Norella Jordan
Novice Medley Singles:
Winner- Jonathan Jackson
Runner-up- Amanda Roberts
