Tennis starlet Tyler Smith surpassed her own expectations at last week’s Barbados Junior International Tournament in the Caribbean.The Laurel Springs High school student finished runner-up in Under-18 girls singles and doubles at the National Tennis Centre in St Michael to further underline her potential.The unseeded Bermudian lost to Switzerland’s Danielle Spielmann in straight sets (6-3, 6-1) in the singles final as fatigue from a recent sojourn to South Africa took its toll.But the 15 year-old took defeat all in stride.“I thought I had a chance going into the final, but it just wasn’t my day,” she told The Royal Gazette. “She played better than I did on that particular day.“It was really hot but also windy so you had a breeze. The courts were really slow and I would rather that they were faster.“I did better than I expected and I was very excited about that. It was a nice experience in Barbados and the people there were really nice as well.”Smith and Korean partner Jeung Won Yang lost to Spielmann and Mariana Humberg in the Under-18 girls doubles final which was decided on a third set tie-break.“I think they were just a better doubles team than me and my partner,” said Smith, who is currently ranked among the top three players in her age group within the Caribbean region.She was accompanied in Barbados by coach Bill Adams who was full of praise for the young Bermudian.“Personally I have been very impressed with the way Tyler has performed and I think she is a credit to Bermuda,” said Adams, who has also worked with tennis siblings Serena and Venus Williams in the past.“Tyler went through some tough American players and without being seeded she beat the number two and three seeds and got all the way to the final of the tournament.“She is finally coming into her own for me and I am one of her worst critics being her coach. She has really stepped up quite a bit.”Two weeks prior to the Barbados Junior International Tournament, Smith also surpassed expectations in South Africa where she reached the semi-final of a grade two event featuring junior players ranked as high as tenth in the world.“There were national teams from all over the world there and Tyler performed exceptionally well and has been working very hard,” Adams added. “She has grown a lot stronger and this is where her she’s really making her entry into the upper echelons of Under-18 competition in the world.”