Damien Applewhaite serves during the final set. He would go on to win against Ryan Moseley in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(5).
No stopping ‘Apple’ at Ocean View
3/16/2010
Damien Applewhaite has been crowned champion of the 2010 Pine Hill Dairy Tennis Championships.
Last weekend, the veteran tennis player won a hard fought Final in straight sets 6-4, 7-5(5), against a weary and exhausted Ryan Moseley on the hard-courts of the Ocean View Tennis Club.
An experienced player himself, Moseley did enter the arena as the favourite, but his two previous matches played a significant role in the contest as he had little time to recover from his quarter-final and semi-final matches, both of which went three sets.
Despite the present fatigue in the Moseley camp, it was a thoroughly entertaining match between two of the most experienced campaigners on the local circuit.
With a large and vocal crowd offering support to both players, it was Applewhaite’s natural athleticism and speed that made the difference between the two in the early exchanges. A typically aggressive player, Moseley tried to push the tempo of the game but ‘Apple’ – as he is referred to in local tennis circles – was more than equal to the task. Scrambling for every ball and using the full court to his advantage, ‘Apple’ held off the onslaught and took the first set 6-4.
The second set was a matter of who could hold their own serve. Constantly breaking each other’s service games, the set was pushed to a tiebreaker which ‘Apple’ narrowly won 7-6(5). The three of the last four points of the match were double faults which could be attributed to fatigue, but in the end it was the steadfastness of Applewhaite that prevailed.
The Under-12 Champion was also crowned last weekend. Talented eleven year-old Andrew Symmonds won a tough three-set Final against a spirited Joshua Worme. After dropping the first set 4-5, Symmonds displayed great determination and tenacity to bounce back and take the remaining sets 4-2 and 5-2.
Symmonds then teamed up with Samuel Manning and also won the doubles title. The pair took the crown in straight sets – 5-4, 4-2 – against Joshua Worme and partner Yannick Polanen.
In his first Final, Kenton Gamble won the Under-18 section with a straight set 6-4, 6-4 win over Craig St. Hill, while Alyssa Fuentes took the Girls’ title with a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 win over the diminutive Melena Lopez.
The ‘Pine Hill Dairy Tennis Championships’ was the first leg of the ‘Courtesy Garage Race of Champions’ (ROC), whereby players earn points throughout the year from each of the competitions they enter. At the end of the year, the Top 8 players – according to the points – are invited to play in an invitational tournament where the overall winner for the year is determined. (AH)
