by Camden Riviere
The weekend of March 25th, the T&R was excited to host the Burke Cup 40-49 Singles Championship. The makeup date, which was announced only three weeks prior, forced the draw to be slightly smaller, but that didn’t affect the quality of play! Dick Tanfield represented the rest of the US as the only traveling player in the event. The #1 seed entering the weekend, Tanfield lost in an incredibly tight three-set quarterfinal to Conor Richmond of Boston. With the #1 seed out, the remaining players were all from Boston, ensuring a hometown champion. Both semifinals went to a deciding third set, with Tyler Sloan overcoming Conor Richmond and Trevor Jones outlasting Chase Richter.
The Final was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Tyler was on fire in the first set, and Trevor was feeling the pressure, unable to get his feet under him. Before he could find his groove, the set was over six games to two. The second set saw a complete swing. Trevor was playing more aggressively, forcing errors from Tyler and not allowing him any extended rallies. Trevor took an early lead and never looked back, taking the second six games to two.
The third set saw both players settle in and find their games., setting the stage for the best set of the tournament. Trevor was forcing with great accuracy and pace while Tyler extended rallies and worked Trevor around the court. After trading games early, Trevor took a crucial game to break the pattern going 4-2 and then 5-3 up, putting all the pressure on Tyler. Also, he fought off a few match points, the deficit was too much, and Trevor took the third set and title 2-6 6-2 6-3!
Thank you to Tournament Chair Arthur Drane, Janice Pearson, and all the T&R folks who supported us over the weekend. Like always, the T&R was rocking Saturday night during the Semifinals!
