More than 100 players contested the 2015 Southwark City Tennis Club championships at Burgess Park last Saturday.
A key theme of the tournament was the transition of the juniors into the adult events. Six of the eight semi-finalists in the men’s and women’s events were teenagers with the oldest player being 23.
The men’s event was won by one of the UK’s top under eighteen players, Lamar Bartley, who defeated Abdul Hassan in the final. Bartley is looking to start his professional tennis career and will be competing in Futures events as he seeks to build up an international rating.
In the women’s event two time champion Rushan Tonge-Bobia lost out to upcoming junior Naomi Brown. London Youth Games team mates Arum Akom and Jotham Tonge-Bobia contested the boys under eighteen singles final with Akom taking the crown in three sets.
The boys’ under sixteen match also went to three sets with victory for Abdullahi Daud. The younger age group events were hard fought with Joshua Usideme taking the boys’ under nine and ten trophies and Jesse Clarkson coming out on top in the under eight competition.
FINALISTS WITH WINNERS LISTED FIRST
Men’s Singles – Lamar Bartley, Abdul Hassan Women’s Singles – Naomi Brown, Rushan Tonge-Bobia Mixed Doubles – Andrea Poveda & Abdul Hassan, Carolina Poveda & Lamar Bartley Men’s Doubles – Lamar Bartley & Niyi Bello, Alex Kaminski & Mukhtar Andu Men’s Consolation – Aaron Dettner, Gabriele Giacalone Women’s Consolation – Antonia Onwochei, Carolina Poveda Adult Novices – Alexandru Budirinca Floricica, Adam Jones Boys U18 – Arum Akom, Jotham Tonge-Bobia Boys U16 – Abdullahi Daud, Andrew Brown Boys U18 Doubles – Arum Akom & Abdullahi Daud, Jotham & Tarique Tonge Bobia U10 Singles – Joshua Usideme, Matthew Fisher-Borrow U9 Singles – Joshua Usideme, Shiv Kashyap 8U Singles – Jesse Clarkson, Jubril Andu Junior Novices – Jean-Enoch Amasse, Ayodeji Oloyede U10 Doubles – Augustine Samba & Annis Frimpong, Joshua Frimpong & Michael Frimpong