It wasn’t to be for Bermuda’s number one tennis player Gavin Manders at the Manchester Athletic Club Male Open Championships last week as he lost in both singles and doubles action.The tournament, held in Manchester, Massachusetts, seeded Manders number nine in the men’s singles and fourth in the men’s doubles where he teamed up with the number one player of Sri Lanka’s Davis Cup team, Hirshana Godamanna.Having a first round bye, the Bermudian swept aside his first opponent 6-3, 6-2 in the second round of singles competition before losing to the number three seed in a three hour battle, 4-6, 7-5, 2-6.Admitting to having spent too much energy in his quest to get back in the match, Manders said he was still was pleased with how the tournament went overall.“I lost in a three-hour war, was down 4-1 in the second and fought back and won the set but it took everything out of me to make the comeback and he stepped it up in the third to take the match,” said Manders. “I also made it to the semi-finals of doubles as the number four seeds.“I’m training with the number one player on Sri Lanka’s Davis Cup team. We made it to the semis of the tournament and although we aren’t used to losing so much, it was good for my game and my mental toughness.“He pushes me to new limits and my game is getting better every day.“I will continue to work out here and play as many men’s open tournaments out here to stay sharp.”Manders is currently a full-time coach in the Boston, Massachusetts area, training some of the top juniors in the area while also honing in his skills playing in quality tournaments.Raising his game to take on top opposition, Manders admitted it was unlikely that his return to Bermuda in the near future would give him chance to play players who could match those he will face in upcoming events in the US.“I’ve got a full time coaching job in Boston, I’m coaching every day and also training with some of the top juniors we have who are at a very high level.“More importantly, I most likely won’t come back to play local tournaments this summer as the tournaments out here are at a much higher level.”