Sharjah: Filipino teenager Kirk Rebuyas took a career step forward with a 6-3, 6-2 win against Bart Kendall for the men's open title at the 23rd Bank of Sharjah Marbella Resort Tennis Championships that concluded here late on Saturday.
Barring the initial six games when both players were tied 3-3, it was the 16 year old going through all the way for an emphatic win in hot and humid conditions at the Marbella Resort tennis courts.
Earlier, Beauty McLeod outplayed Elizabeth Strand 7-5, 7-6 to take home the women's open crown.
Nasser M. Nasef, Group General Manager, Sharjah National Hotels, was joined by Asim Bader, Group Assistant Director of Sales and Marketing and Ahmad Aldous, Senior Sales Manager, at the trophy presentation.
The evening was a special one for Rebuyas. "It's my first big win here," he beamed.
Junior programme
"But what was even more pleasing is that I could achieve this title without dropping a set through the competition," he added.
This was a rare triple for the Filipino boy who started off with tennis after being involved with the Shaikh Saeed Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Development Programme run by Tennis Emirates nearly ten years back.
Over the past two weeks, Rebuyas — who turns 17 in December — won the boy's under-18 singles and doubles titles here. "But this one is the biggest of them all," he said.
Kendall, a financial adviser at deVere, was full of praise for his younger opponent. "He was the better player, but I am happy to be reaching the final in my first tournament since moving to Dubai nearly three years back," Kendall said.
"I thought we were matched evenly at the start of the first set, but then he started making me run a lot and I could not keep pace," he added.
The 23rd Bank of Sharjah Marbella Resort Open is an annual event that takes in a junior development competition for men and women.
