Gavin Manders matched co-number Andy Bray's winning start to the men's singles season, winning his first domestic title of the season after defeating Bray 6-3, 6-3, in the finals of the Island Construction Open last weekend.

Bray won the first singles tournament of the season, albeit Manders was not on the Island.

"I came into this tournament with a lot of confidence. It was also the first tournament that I was seeded number one since I was 17, said Manders. "So it felt pretty good to prove that I am the man to beat in Bermuda right now and defend my number one spot."

Manders, who is currently on break from studies in the United States, made a triumphant return to the court after his sterling performances in the recently completed Davis Cup ties for Bermuda.

He etched his name in local tennis history with his performances at the Davis Cup after becoming the most successful local player at the prestigious tournament, going undefeated in his four singles matches and finished the Group IV contest with a record of 6-1 – an unprecedented overall record for a Bermuda player.

Manders had joined Bray at the top of the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) rankings when they were last released.

On his way to the Island Construction title, he dispatched of David Jenkins 6-0, 6-3 in the second round before beating Paul Coleman in the same manner, 6-0, 6-1 in the quarter-finals. He didn't have it his own way en route to the title, with battles against fellow Davis Cup teammate Jenson Bascome and Bray. In a match that lasted for over three hours, it was Manders who emerged victorious against Bascome, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6, in their semi-final clash to set up a showdown of number ones.

Manders would hold his nerves two days to level the title race for 2009 between the two with a 6-3, 6-3 win at the Pomander Gate Tennis Club.

After the victory Manders noted that it was going to be no easy task to hold off the likes of Bray and Bascome, believing that the level of local tennis is also on the rise.

" It was a good victory for me against Andy as Jenson and myself had a three and a half hour war in the semis two days prior to the finals.

"I came into the finals extremely tired but was able to pull it out. The match against Jenson was really the final for me in this tournament as it was a match where both of us used up everything in the tank. My goal for this season is to win all three tournaments I play in this summer.

"I was able to take the number one spot by the end of last year from Andy who has held it for quite a while.

"It will take a lot of work to hold off Andy, Jenson and the rest of the players, but I feel confident and am willing to put in the work to maintain it.

"It's one thing to get to the top, but its another to stay there."