- Junior DowieGreece's Konstantin Economidis unleashes a forehand during yesterday's final at the Starfish Trelawny Beach Hotel.
WESTERN BUREAU:
GREEK PLAYERS dominated the fourth Bell Caribbean Jamaica Futures Tennis Championship which ended at Starfish Trelawny Beach yesterday.
Top seeded Konstantin Economidis won the singles title beating fourth seed Chilean Felipe Parada in straight sets after teaming up with compatriot Nikos Rovas to win the doubles on Friday.
Economidis, who ranked at No. 262, was the only player in the draw in the top 450 of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) computer rankings, dominated yesterday's final to win 6-4, 6-4.
The Greek, who will be the No. 1 ranked player in the fifth series which start on Monday at Sunset Beach Resort and Spa in Montego Bay, had two close shaves however. He survived two tie breakers in a marathon three setter against German Leif Meineke in the first round was taken the distance in the semi-finals by third ranked Kepler Orellana of Venezuela.
Parada upset second seeded Dutch player Fred Hemmes Jr. 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in the quarter-finals before knocking out seventh seed David Sherwood of Great Britain 6-2, 6-4 in the semis.
In the doubles competition, the Greeks first defeated he Jamaican pair of Dustin Brown and Kevron Bennett on their way to the title, beating the British pair of Sherwood and Jonathon Murray in the final.
Brown, who got into the main draw as a wild-card entrant, was the only Jamaican to survive the first round after beating American qualifier Brandon Fallon 7-6, 4-6, 6-4.
He was beaten in the next round however by Parada, 6-7, 6-3 6-3.
Meanwhile, qualifying for the fifth round is expected to end this afternoon at Sunset Beach Resort.
