S. David-Longe upsets N0. 8 seed; Hawker wins marathon match

The GTA One Guyana Open 2023 Tournament is a pillar of the emerging National Sports Academy; an initiative which is funded by the National Sports Commission (NSC), the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, and by extension the Government of Guyana.

Day 4 of the inaugural GTA One Guyana Open demonstrated tenacity and toughness. After a brief rain delay, Seanden David-Longe, a former National player, defeated his older brother Saevion David-Longe, the No. 7 seed, 5/7 – 6/1 – 7/5 to create another upset in the tournament.

Unseeded David-Longe used one of his tricks to guide his opponent from one corner to another after losing a close first set. This proved to be too much of a puzzle for his rival, and Seanden won the second set by losing just one game.

Although he didn’t play poorly, his older brother was unable to match Seanden’s shot making variety. With some deft drop shots and slices, Seanden took control of the third set and sprinted to a 4/1 lead. In the end, Saevion would fight his way back and take charge of the decisive set.

At 5/4 and serving for the match, it seemed as though Saevion would survive to fight another day, but his younger brother’s tricky shots got the better of him, and he dropped the following three games. Seanden David-Longe would proceed to his first Round of 16 in the Men’s Singles Open.

Hawker survives marathon match

Rondae Hawker flirted with the four-hour mark when he scored a 6/7 (8) – 7/6 (5) – 6/2 comeback win over Immanuel Baker in the Men’s Open Singles Round of 64. Surpassing yesterday’s marathon match, this one clocked 3 hours and 47 minutes.

Both players dug deep to stay in the longer rallies where they split the first two sets. In the decisive set, Hawker trailed 0/2, before finding his grit to win the next six games.

Next up for Hawker is the Boy’s 18 Champion and No. 4 seed, Gerald Scotland.

Other Results

Ladies’ Open Singles Round of 16: Afruica Gentle defeated Justine Kennedy 6/1 – 6/0.

Ladies’ Open Singles Quarterfinals: Kalyca Fraser defeated Devanie Arjune 6/0 – 6/0.

Ladies’ Open Singles Round of 16: Shawna Gentle defeated Jamaali Homer 6/2 – 4/2 (default).

Men’s Open Singles Round of 32: No. 5 seed Nathan DeNobrega defeated Kareem Wilson 6/2 – 6/0.

Men’s Open Singles Round of 32: Andre Erskine defeated Akil Semple 6/0 – 6/2.

Men’s 45 Singles RoundRobin: Sunil Bianchini defeated Harry Panday 6/3 – 6/3.

Men’s 45 Singles Round Robin: Steve David-Longe defeated Patrice Stewart 6/0 – 6/1.