Malcolm takes men's Open crown, Fletcher wins women's title

Western Bureau:

Former national champion Nicholas Malcolm rolled back the clock in emphatic style in Montego Bay yesterday when he upstaged long-time rival Elvis Henry in the men's Open final at 2011 Iberostar Tennis Classic to walk away with the championship trophy and the $100,000 winner's cheque.

"I must thank God for making this dream a reality for me," said an elated Malcolm. "I have been battling this guy (Henry) for most of the past 10 years, and today was yet another great matchup between us ... thank God I won."

In what was a thrilling contest, which generated much excitement among the fans, Malcolm won the first game 6-4 only to see Henry storming back to win the second game 6-2 to level the final 1-1. Forced into a 'super tiebreaker' to determine the champion, the resolute Malcolm won 10-7.

Déjà vu for henry

For Henry who pocketed $50,000 for his losing effort, it was a case of déjà vu. He was also beaten in last year's final, going down to Damion Johnson, who lost to Malcolm in the quarter-finals.

"It was as good a final as one could hope for," said tournament referee Simon Casserley. "I was particularly pleased with the reaction of the fans. It was quite clear that they had a good time over the five days."

In the women's Open final, which was played prior to the men's, the expected fireworks did not materialise as Montego Bay's Ffion Fletcher created a big upset, turning back the challenge of tournament favourite Pauline Hylton 6-3, 6-0 in a silky-smooth display of free-flowing attack and compact defending.

"Winning this tournament means a lot to me because I am basically coming back into the game from retirement," said the 26-year-old Fletcher. "This is the kind of motivation I need to re-establish myself in the sport ... . I am really happy and pleased with the way I played."

Shirley snatches win

In the men's Class Two final, a resolute Stephen Shirley rebounded from a poor start to snatch the trophy at the expense of Gordon Chuck, who ran out of steam after an excellent start. Chuck won the first set 6-0 and was looking good, but Shirley turned the tables on him, winning the second game 6-1 and then taking victory via a 10-7 tiebreak.

In the final segment of the four-category tournament, Terrence Fletcher got the better of Clement Greenswood 6-3, 6-4 to win the men's Class Three title.

The tournament, which was sponsored to the tune of $250,000 by Marksman Security and Advan-tage General Insurance Company Limited, saw the semi-finalists pocketing $25,000 and the quarter-finalists $12,000. The successful amateur players got complimentary weekends courtesy of Iberostar Resorts.