TEENAGER Louis Keenan underlined his potential after winning the men’s singles title in the BNP Paribas LTA Easter Open at the Caesarean Tennis Club.
The 18-year-old also picked up the men’s double title, partnering his friend Liam Hickey from Ireland.
Seeded three, Keenan, who has been with the club since he was eight, beat top seed and former Island Games gold medallist Jeremy Cross in the semi-finals of the men’s singles, 6-3, 6-1, before defeating James Faudemer in straights sets, 6-4, 6-1, in the final.
He and Hickey then won the doubles beating Cross and his partner Scott Weaver in the final, 6-4, 6-3.
It completed a great week for Keenan after it was announced that he would be joining the Carson Newman University tennis programme in Tennessee. It is the same college where Jersey Island Games team-mate, Natasha Forrest, is currently in her final year.
The aptly-named Isabella Caesar won the women’s singles title after beating Nia Lewis 7-6, 6-1 in the final. But Lewis got her revenge in the women’s doubles final as she and Katie Moore defeated Caesar and Erin Passmore 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.
Hickey and Passmore teamed up to win the mixed doubles title, beating Nick Baghai and Jessica Lazarean in the final 6-1, 6-4.
Raphael Hebant took the U18 boys title after Jonathan Le Feuvre was forced to retire in the final having lost the first set 6-0. Early in the week there was a reversal of fortune between the two in the U16s boys final, with Le Feuvre edging it 7-6, 7-5. Hebant would also be defeated in the U14 boys final, losing 6-0, 6-3 to Lucas Rodgers.
Caesar also picked up the U18s girls title, beating her doubles partner in the final 6-2, 7-6. The two of them then teamed up to win the U18s girls doubles title, beating Lazarean and Lewis in the final.
Cross won the round-robin O35s competition.
Jenina Fu defeated Jessica Lazarean in a hard-fought U16 girls final, 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 to go with the U14 girls title she picked up, while Elin Lewis won the U12 girls title.
The U18s boys doubles title went to Arthur King and Lewis Moore, while Hebant and Timothee Poggie won the U14 boys double title.
Ben Capra won the U12 boys title, Oliver Beddall took the U11 boys title and Timothy Lee was top boy in the U10s, Johnny Siberling won the U9s, and Seth Baghai the U8s.
Finally, Noah Baghai and Misha Gribanov won the U11s boys doubles title.
