It’s like the King never left court.
So much for rust slowing down Barbados’ best, as top-ranked tennis pro Darian King led a litany of seeds into the quarter-finals after whipping Jared Spencer 6-1, 6-1 in yesterday’s opening round of the CIBC FirstCaribbean Tennis Championships at Ocean View.
It was the first tournament action in about a month for the local no.1, who traded in his racquet for a pair of cleats during his MVP-winning performance in the David Thompson Memorial Constituency Councils’ Football Classic.
But the switch back from the field to the court did nothing to change the fortunes of a wide-eyed junior that was just happy to avoid two bagels while managing to take a game off King in each set.
Emile Trotman wasn’t so lucky, though, having gone under 6-0, 6-0 to second seed Russell Moseley in the day’s opening match that was as lopsided as the score suggested.
The Davis Cup vet was just one of five seeds strolling into the quarters after no. 4 Andrew Thornton, sixth seed Matthew Hutchinson and no. 8 Richard Hornby all advanced to the last eight via routine straight set victories.
So straightforward were the results that the day’s only casualty was no. 5 Ryan Moseley, who retired hurt against Hornby’s young brother Adam, and this was after the fifth seed went up early after taking the first set 6-4.
It proved the rather anti-climactic end to the day’s most awaited game where the two players traded big shots like weighted punches in a hyped match-up that looked well worth the wait.
For a brief moment, though, the contest looked anything but, when Hornby fired a pair of aces in the opening game before Moseley quickly fell behind 0-30 on his own serve.
However, the seasoned veteran replied with some lusty forehand winners then held off a crafty top-spin second serve outwide to open his account.
But Hornby almost broke again while leading 3-2 after Moseley hit a backhand slice long to give the New Zealand-born talent his first and only break point of the match. He never capitalized, though, as Moseley set up a smash to save that break before using yet another heavy top spin serve to close out.
And that missed chance proved costly not long after, with Moseley taking advantage of a rare double fault by zipping a pair of huge inside-out forehands to break Hornby for a 5-4 lead.
Moseley didn’t waste any time consolidating either, hitting two huge serves out-wide before Hornby gifted him the set with two mishit forehands. However, it proved all for naught as Moseley immediately called it quits while complaining for his knee during the ensuing break.
Adam’s older brother Richard had a much easier time of it after downing Hutchinson’s sibling Gavin 6-4, 6-3 on an adjacent court.
Matthew Hutchinson did have to survive some anxious moments in the first set before breaking Ajani King twice in the second set of a 6-4, 6-2 win. Thornton had no such worries while thrashing Nicholas Charles 6-1, 6-0.
Five-time national champ and local no. 3 Seanon Williams will be in action today when he plays Maurice Waldron in his opening round fixture ahead of tomorrow’s quarter-finals.
