Gavin Lewis stormed to his third Men’s singles title with a 6/1 – 5/7 – 6/1 win over Phillip Squires on Monday at the Guyana Tennis Association (GTA) One Guyana Open 2023 Tournament.
“This tournament was exceptional for me, not only because it’s my first Men’s title since winning GBTI in 2019, but also because it was the first time I invited my family and a few friends to watch me play,” Lewis said.
“After the pandemic, I went through some difficult times, but I always had the support of my family, friends, and Roraima clubmates. I won this tournament for us.”
Before the championship match, Lewis had only conceded ten games in 8 sets.
He seemed poised to maintain that dominance through his title-winning run when he led Squires 6/1 – 5/2 in the championship match.
Lewis failed to close the match in straight sets after suffering from muscle cramps. Squires built some momentum and, with his supporters’ help, won five straight games to take the second set over an ailing Lewis.
Momentum shifted from player to player in the opening two games of the decisive set. Squires attempted to capitalise on his opponent’s injury, with both players trading breaks of serves to level the match at one-all.
Lewis, who was in pain, showed great grit and shot accuracy to sprint to a 3/1 lead before play was suspended due to lighting issues.
Lewis and Squires returned to the court on Monday afternoon to compete for the chance to be the first player to lift the GTA One Guyana Open Men’s singles trophy.
Serving at 3/1, Lewis lost the first two points after Squires showed off his versatility and shot-making abilities. Lewis didn’t seem perturbed and continued to advance, winning 13 of the last 15 points of the championship match.
“It was really tough out there physically and mentally. I was one game away from bringing it home before the muscle cramps got the better of me. I was in lots of pain, I could’ve barely walked, let alone run,” the Men’s champ said.
“I even thought about giving up, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t thinking about the money during the match. I was thinking about having my family, friends, and clubmates out there supporting me. My four-year-old niece is a swimmer, and I wanted to show her that champions don’t make excuses and champions never give up. Champions find a way to win, and that’s what I did.”
Lewis is projected to retain the Men’s #1 ranking.
At yesterday’s closing ceremony at the National Racquet Centre, the inaugural GTA One Guyana Open came to a successful conclusion. Director of Sport, Mr. Steve Ninvalle and executive members of the GTA presented the prizes to the winners and finalists.
The GTA One Guyana Open 2023 Tournament is a pillar of the emerging National Sports Academy, an initiative that the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport funds.
The awardees of the GTA One Guyana Open 2023 are as follows:
Men’s Open Champion: Gavin Lewis
Runner-up: Phillip Squires
Ladies’ Open Champion: Afruica Gentle
Runner-up: Paula Kalekyezi
Men’s 35 Champion: Phillip Squires
Runner-up: Aubrey Younge
Men’s 45 Champion: Aubrey Younge
Runner-up: Sunil Bianchini
