IT TOOK THE HEAVENS to get the better of Darian King.
Intermittent showers forced Barbados’ best tennis player’s open final against Seanon Williams to be abandoned without a shot being played in the CIBC FirstCaribbean Championships at the Ocean View courts.
Monday night’s rains resulted in King having to forfeit the title due to overseas commitments as the top-ranked pro left the country yesterday to continue his training at the Martin Blackman Academy in Florida.
It was about the only thing that came close to slowing down his latest tour-de-force performance at home, which featured several routine straight-set wins including a 6-1, 6-1 showing in the Courtesy Garage Top Eight final versus Barbados’ best locally based player, Russell Moseley.
In all, King dropped just seven games in six singles matches over the course of two tournaments while similarly cruising to a doubles title with his Davis Cup teammate Williams.
The intermittent showers also forced the postponement of the women’s open final, in which Melena Lopez was leading over Donna Gibbs after she took the opening set. That title game is slated to resume tomorrow while action in the other divisions continues during the week.
King returns home later this month ahead of Barbados’ Davis Cup Americas Group II tie against Chile that gets underway from January 31 at the National Tennis Centre. (JM)
