Husband and wife duo of Andrew and Lee Ann Thornton walked away with two titles each when the final day of the Duke Tennis Academy Open Tournament concluded on Sunday at Guaracara Park in Pointe-A-Pierre.
Following Lee Ann's 6-3, 6-0 triumph over last year's beaten finalist Farrah Chautilal on Saturday, yesterday's final day belonged to her husband Andrew who stopped Akiel Duke, the tournament organiser, from clinching the men's open crown for a second time.
The second-seed Thornton (Andrew) snatched the early advantage 6-3 in the first set and then he let it loose in the second, going all the way for a 6-1 win to seal the title. After the game, Duke said his body had shut down from weariness.
"I was actually tired from doing many things as the organiser, so yesterday I was just really tired, my body just could not go any more," Duke said.
Last year was not as challenging as it appeared, the top-seeded Duke brushed aside Kino Francis in straight sets for the crown and bragging rights.
Andrew's success put him level on earnings in the tournament with his wife. And it was almost majestic when they pooled their talents for the mixed doubles title, facing the pair of Krystan Valentine, the tournament's second-seeded player, and Sarah Salandy, a battler in every sense of the word, in the final on court two.
The husband and wife team expectedly drew first blood in the encounter 6-1, but in their drive to punish their counterparts, they were forced to stop with the score at 4-1 in their favour. The combination of Salandy and Valentine could go no further and retired hurt, handing the couple their second title of the tournament.
Later though, Robert Caesar showed his class above Randy Bailey in the final of the Over-45 men's singles on the first court. Bailey was ranked second going into the match against Caesar, who proved that rankings don't win matches, grabbing a 6-2 lead at the end of the first set.
And though Bailey tried for a reversal in the second, he could do nothing when Caesar raced to the win by an identical 6-2 margin to secure the title.
