TENNIS

Page last updated at 7:55PM, Saturday, May 03, 2008

		Top seeds tumble on opening day GROS-ISLET, Saint Lucia; Monday August 6th 2007 – The number one seeded player in the 2007 Coca-Cola ITF Junior Tennis Tournament Nicholas Bacchus of the USA was one of the first major casualties to fall on the tournament’s opening day, Monday August 6t 2007 in Boys’ 18 Singles action on the courts of the Saint Lucia Racquet Club situated at Almond Smugglers Cove.

It was a day in which the first four matches went into third sets, and a number of top seeds took a tumble out of the tournament. First Pablo Nunez of Costa Rica handed the top seed a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 defeat, ending any dreams he may have had, while Luis Delgado of the Dominican Republic the number two seed dispatched Winfred Weinbeer of Jamaica 6-1, 6- 3, with the number six seed Naim Azhar of Bermuda losing to Bradley Bryan of Barbados 6-4, 6-4. Nikolaj Wulff of Germany won the first set in his game against the number five seed Rodney Carey Jr of The Bahamas 6-3, but lost the second set 3-6. However in the decisive third set the German prevailed 6-4, sending the number five seed crashing out of the tournament. In a high stakes clash between the number three seed Kevin Deligny of host country Saint Lucia and Luka Stanic of the USA, court side temperature reached near boiling point with one spectator making his support for Deligny known between points.

Ezra Sue Ho	Stanic lost the plot as Deligny showing great improvement to his overall game, dispatched the American 6-1, 6-3, to book his place in the next round of matches.Devard Wharton of Barbados the number seven seed did not become one of the major casualties on the first day, as he made light work of Shane
Huggins of St. Vincent And the Grenadines 6-1, 6-1, while the number eight seed Jesus Rodriguez of Venezuela kept his hopes alive with a 6-0, 6-2 defeat of Jervon Antoine of Saint Lucia. Akeem Gustave also of Saint Lucia won his the tournament’s opening game against Dario Parris of Barbados 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-1, the first time he has advanced to the second round in the tournament. Meanwhile two players were lucky to get into the Main Draw, as two players failed to show up on the opening day. Liam Lum Kong of Saint Lucia replaced Kevon Charles, and Ezra Sue Ho of Guyana replaced M. Bernadez. The two enjoyed mixed results with Lum Kong losing 7-6 (1), 6-4 to Brandon Burke of Jamaica, and Sue Ho showing much improvement since he played the qualifiers over the previous weekend, defeated Justin Gun-Munroe of St. Vincent and the Grenadines 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Girls 18 number five seed Ann-Sophie Porry of France ensured that she was not a first day casualty, defeating Michelle Gun-Munroe of St. Vincent and the Grenadines 6-3, 6-1. Saint Lucia’s top Girls 18 player Emma Dodd lost the script in a Stadium Court match with Elvira Scholles of Suriname, losing 6-1, 6-1.
Kevin Deligny	Stacey Roheman of Saint Lucia began her campaign to win the Girls Singles 14 Division with a 8-6 defeat of Carentxa Goede of Suriname, while the 2005 Girls Singles 12 champion Aquila Gustave of Saint Lucia lost both of her matches on day one; first 8-2 to Sarah Hew of Suriname, and then to Kristina Charles of Grenada 8-4.
The Girls and Boys 14 Singles and Doubles are being played on Mayers Court situated at Pointe Salines in Cap Estate, with the Boys and Girls 12 Singles and Doubles are being played at the Almond Morgan Bay Hotel at Choc Bay. With a number of matches scheduled to be completed on the second day, the organizers are keeping their fingers cross that the remaining days of the 2007 Coca-Cola ITF Junior Tennis Tournament, will be blessed by bright sunshine.