Tennis: Vijay League

Six teams to battle it out for top honours

SIX teams, namely Tennis Club 2000, El Nino, Aces, Blues, Spitfire and newcomers Grandflam are to battle it out in this year's Vijay Construction-sponsored Vijay League championship in a bid to win the top honours.

The first match of the two-round league, which is to start Friday April 16, will see Tennis Club 2000 take on El Nino at 4.30 p.m. at the Roche Caïman tennis courts and the next day at 4 p.m. at the same venue, Aces will meet Blues.

Grandflam, under the captaincy of the country's former national team coach Tim Horpinitch, are to make their debut in the competition against defending champs Spitfire on April 23.

The first stage of the competition will be played on a two-round league basis with the top four teams qualifying for the cross-knockout semifinals.

It is to note that Spitfire were crowned champions of the last edition of the competition in 2003, beating Aces 4-1 in the final to claim a second Vijay League title in four years.

Spitfire, who finished at the top of the League to lead three other opponents – fellow finalists Aces, El Nino and the Blues – into the knockout phase, led 2-1 after the three singles matches.

They won the two men's doubles through Steven Rideau-Mein who beat Selwyn Lespoir 2-0 (6-3 6-1) and Ronny Ah-Shung who allowed Warren André just two games in a 2-0 (6-1 6-1) victory.

Fatim Kanté put Aces back into contention with a straight sets – 6-3, 6-1 – win over her twin sister Zenab in the only women's singles encounter of the team final.

Spitfire, who were denied back-to-back championship win in 2002 after their first success in 2001, made sure of victory with wins in two doubles matches.

Spitfire's men's doubles pair of Ah-Shung and Bernard Mein brought the score to 3-1 with a 9-1 defeat of the Aces pair of John Adam and Warren André.

In the mixed doubles, Rideau-Mein teamed up with Sarah René to put the issue beyond doubt with a 9-7 victory over Selwyn Lespoir and Thelma Rijpma.

With a three-game lead (4-1), the two teams decided to forfeit the ladies' doubles as a victory for the Aces pair of Fatim Kanté/Thelma Rijpma would not have had much significance as Spitfire had already sewn up the title.

It is to be remembered that Spitfire, losing finalists to Rovers Side-Out in 2002 and Tennis Club 2000 in 2000, have managed to reach four of the five finals of the competition since it was initiated in 1999.

The first edition of the Vijay League was won by the defunct Challengers.

C. J.