Bradshaw, Baumer make it look easy
to be the most successful Coral Beach Invitational in years on Saturday with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 win over nemesis Wendy Gelhay in the final, thus ending her giant-killing ways.
At the same time, Anthony Baumer mesmerised Gregg Frigerio, one of the Island's brightest upcoming stars, allowing him only four games before winning 6-3, 6-1 in possibly the day's biggest surprise.
In the women's final, Bradshaw, though the tournament's number one seed, had lost two of the three previous meetings with Gelhay "by allowing Wendy to dictate with her slower game.'' "But my plan today was to play my game; to dictate the pace from the outset, and that's exactly what I did,'' said Bradshaw following the contest, which lasted only 54 minutes.
Bradshaw broke Gelhay in the first game of the match and held for a 2-0 lead, but Gelhay stormed back with a break in the fourth game after holding her serve to level the score.
But that was to be the only time she was actually in the match, losing 10 of the next 12 games.
"She just never let me into the match,'' said Gelhay, "and she was so overpowering I was unable to achieve a breakthrough myself.'' Nevertheless, it was the men's singles match that stunned the large and appreciative crowd. Baumer, who had to come from a set down in the semifinal to get past local Brian Way, was expected to have a much tougher match on his hands against Frigerio, but it never materialised.
When asked what happened, Grigerio simply said: "I just couldn't get going. I didn't have it out there today.'' Baumer was as surprised as the audience.
"Having watched Gregg play I expected a tougher match, but he was not at the top of his game and I just kept the pressure on.'' Baumer's nickname is Gi, short for Giant, and he was indeed large on the courts as he teamed with Stuart Smith to take the doubles crown 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 over Frigerio and Brian Way, but missed the triple when he and Kathy Keer-Stuhler lost to Smith and Bradshaw in the mixed doubles final 6-2, 6-3.
Meanwhile, Butterfield completed possibly her most hectic and difficult week in tennis when she and partner Keer-Stuhler came from a set, 2-5 and one match point down to win the women's doubles title by an unbelievable 6-2, 5-7, 8-6 score against Kathy Gringer and Marnie Johnson.
ANTHONY BAUMER -- Two titles on Saturday.
CRISS CROSS -- Kathy Keer-Stuhler, front, and Gill Butterfield during their stunning doubles victory on Saturday.
