Top seed Blaise Bicknell and the American tandem of Keshav Chopra and Matt Kuhar were crowned champions as the ITF M15 International Tennis Tournament drew to a close at the WER Joell Tennis Stadium.
Persistent rainfall throughout the week presented logistical headaches for tournament organisers in Pembroke, but ground staff worked tirelessly to keep the courts playable and clear the schedule for an action-packed final weekend.
In the singles showpiece, Jamaica’s Blaise Bicknell capped a dominant tournament campaign with an emphatic straight-sets victory. Facing Poland’s sixth seed Kacper Szymkowiak, the number one seed dictated terms from the baseline, breaking early in both sets to cruise to a clinical 6-2, 6-2 triumph.
The doubles championship brought equal dominance for top seeds Keshav Chopra and Matt Kuhar, who brushed aside third-seeded compatriots Nathan Cox and Jeffrey Fradkin 6-4, 6-2 in an all-American final.
Chopra and Kuhar’s title triumph was made all the more impressive given the endurance test required to reach the final. In a pulsating morning semi-final, the top seeds had to dig deep into their reserves to fend off Barbadian duo Kaipo Marshall and Stephen Slocombe, eventually prevailing in a marathon match-tiebreak, 4-6, 6-3, 13-11.
Cox and Fradkin enjoyed a far smoother passage into the title decider, having earlier swept aside second seeds Noah Schachter and Gray Voelzke 6-3, 6-3 in their semi-final clash, before coming up short against the tournament's standout doubles pairing.
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