The opening round of singles in week two of the ITF M15 Bermuda Open has concluded at the W.E.R. Joell Tennis Stadium, with local wildcard Tariq Simons capturing headlines after coming through a high-stakes, two-tie-break battle.
Simons returned to the court following overnight suspension to complete a gripping 7-6, 7-6 victory over American qualifier Mitchell Dobek, keeping domestic hopes alive in the singles main draw.
Top-seeded Jamaican Blaise Bicknell had to work hard to book his spot in the second round, overturning an opening-set deficit to overcome Curaçao qualifier Aydan Gomez Osorio 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Second seed Keshav Chopra of the United States staged a similar escape, battling back from a set down against Canada's Niels Peter Van Noord to prevail 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Third seed Matt Kuhar enjoyed a much smoother path, conceding just two games in a clinical 6-2, 6-0 win over Guatemala’s Juan Sebastian Dominguez Collado. Sixth seed Noah Schachter also looked in commanding touch, easing past fellow American Tyler Mercier 6-4, 6-1.
In the remaining all-American singles ties, Gray Voelzke delivered a ruthless 6-3, 6-0 sweep against Zachary Mintz, while Jeffrey Fradkin held off lucky loser Alexander Bravo in a tight straight-sets encounter, 7-6, 6-2.
Doubles action sees top seeds tested and Barbadian pair dominant
First-round doubles action also near completion, highlighted by a dramatic match tie-break decider.
Resuming their suspended clash, the second-seeded Canadian tandem of Volodymyr Gurenko and Niels Peter Van Noord edged Jamaica’s John Chin and Bermuda’s Trey Mallory. After splitting the opening two sets 6-4, 2-6, the Canadians held their nerve in the super tie-break to close out a 6-4, 2-6, [10-7] victory.
Third seeds Kaipo Marshall and Stephen Slocombe of Barbados produced an emphatic display, conceding just one game in a 6-0, 6-1 rout of American Jonny Degroot and Bermuda's Simons.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Dobek and Drew Van Orderlain bounced back from their singles exertions to claim an impressive doubles win, dispatching Jamaican top seed Bicknell and American partner Harry Cicma 6-4, 7-6.
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