Corey Huggins may have lost his second-round match yesterday but he won a heap of fans.

Locked in an absorbing battle against Andrew Sharnov, the number two seed in the 18 & Under division of the Bank of Bermuda Foundation ITF World Ranking Junior Tournament suffered an untimely injury which ultimately thwarted his ambitions.

However, at 3-3 in the first set ? and limping on a badly twisted right ankle ? he refused to retire, instead giving a gutsy display and fighting until the last ball in his 6-3, 6-4 defeat at the W.E.R. Joell Tennis Stadium.

The scoreline was flattering to American Sharnov who, despite acquitting himself well on Court One, admitted he had his hands full with Huggins ? aching ankle and all.

Having surrendered the first set after his sudden injury necessitated a medical time-out, the Vincentian Huggins proceeded to wield his devastating serve and hard groundstrokes to telling effect; often finding vital angles for winners.

However, his obviously limited movement and inability to chase down balls with his accustomed speed, left him susceptible to Sharnov?s rapid change of direction and pace and, too often, rendered him woefully incapable of returning his opponent?s shots.

Still he fought on and, after going a break down 3-2, never lost hope as the relentless and steady-stroking Sharnov ? clad ? la Raphael Nadal in a Nike vest and white capri pants ? closed in on victory and a place in the quarter-finals.

At 5-4 to the unseeded player, then serving for the match, Huggins was suddenly presented with an opening as a double-break opportunity beckoned but ice-cool Sharnov rallied superbly from 15-40 to claim the decisive game.

Dejected, Huggins hobbled from the court to a loud ovation.

?It?s a big disappointment for me to train hard all year and then get injured in the second round when I come here,? said the 16-year-old ranked 448th on the ITF Junior circuit.

?The first set was going pretty good and then at 3-3 I rolled my ankle running for a ball and after that I didn?t have any confidence. It was hurting a lot and I tried to hold up as much as I could.

?My coach always tells me to fight my best even when I?m injured and that?s what I tried to do. In the second set when I had the double break to make it 5-5 I thought I had a chance but my ankle started hurting again and I wasn?t able to run.?

Having dispatched the number two seed, Sharnov was, by contrast, quite buoyant and optimistic about progressing deeper into the tournament.

?My serve was on and I was timing the ball well. In the first set he hurt his leg and I think that messed up his game but I?m happy that I won. It?s my first ITF (tournament) and I think I played pretty well,? said the 18-year-old winner.

Also advancing to the last eight in the Boys? 18 & Under category was Jack Boling who beat Jamaal Hepburn of The Bahamas 6-3, 6-0.

?I thought I played pretty good, a lot better than in my first round. I felt solid and I served pretty good,? said the 15-year-old American who created quite a stir, jumping around the court with fists pumping and his cap on backwards.

In the Girls 18 & Under section, top seed Yolande Leacock of Trinidad & Tobago dodged disaster by rebounding to oust Breanna Atkinson of the USA 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.

After inexplicably faltering in the crucial tenth game of the opening set and being broken to lose it 6-4, the lanky player ? 261st on the ITF rankings ? took firm control of the match and stamped her class on the proceedings.

She is now in the semi-finals and will meet number eight seed Carolyn McVeigh who startled spectators with her clinical 6-3, 6-0 demolition of number four seed Arielle Von Strolley. The Jamaican just never came to terms with her rival?s penetrative strokes and was easily overcome by the no-nonsense American.

Meanwhile, ITF supervisor Mickey Williams applauded the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association (BTFA) for hosting a well-organised tournament.

?Bermuda have outdone themselves. David Lambert and his team are putting on a first-class event which is bringing immeasurable benefit to young Bermudian tennis players and I hope it gives them an idea of where they stand in comparison to their peers in the region.

?Hopefully, it will motivate them to train harder to achieve the same level of proficiency that other players have shown here this week.?

Williams stressed the importance of local juniors seizing advantage of other regional tournaments ?to increase their exposure and enhance their development? instead of only participating in the ITF tournament held here each summer.