Sam Ashcroft from Nottingham Castle Tennis Club won the 37th Jack Britton Singles Trophy at the Nottingham Tennis Centre at the weekend. The number 3 seed won his first two matches on Saturday for the loss of just 2 games. In the semi-final he beat No 2 seed Ross Savage from West Bridgford TC 6-1 7-6
In the second semi final No 1 seed Vasya Kusmartsev, a 16 year old performance player from the Loughborough Tennis Academy, beat Janak Gunatilleke from Caunton TC 6-4 7-6.
The final was played in windy conditions but both players opted to use their attacking ground strokes and big serves to win points rather than select a cautious approach. Ashcroft won the first set 6-4 with just one break of serve. The second set followed a similar pattern with Ashcroft serving for the title at 5-3 but was unable to close out the match. The second set went to a tie break & Ashcroft took a 6-0 lead but Kusmartsev played his very best to save all 6 match points. Ashcroft then regained his composure to win the next two points and take the title 6-4 7-6 (8-6).
The consolation event was won by Jeremy Resnick of David Lloyd West Bridgford, who beat Neil Butlin on a 3rd set match deciding tie break 10-8.
The tournament was contested by players from around the Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire & Leicestershire area, and excludes County players from the last 5 years.
Winner: Sam Ashcroft (Nottingham Castle TC)
Runner Up: Vasya Kusmartsev (Loughborough Town TC)
Semi-Finalists: Ross Savage (West Bridgford TC) & Janak Gunatilleke (Caunton TC)
Andy Bradley
Tournament Organiser.