Matthew Asciak and Elaine Genovese retained their titles as Malta champions following convincing wins in the respective finals of the Gatorade Malta Open Championships held recently at the Marsa Sports Club.
On the same day, Asciak made it another double in his impressive list of career wins after partnering Bradley Callus and claiming the men’s doubles event.
Asciak has now been the Malta champion for the eighth time running. In last week’s final he beat young hopeful Raphael Sammut 6-1 6-0.
The Malta title follows Asciak’s participation and encouraging results in the Davis Cup, as well as winning the mixed doubles silver medal at the Games of the Small States of Europe in Luxembourg with Genovese.
The women’s final was also a clear verdict as Genovese beat Katrina Sammut, another young prospect in the local game, 6-1 6-0.
Genovese proved too strong and experienced for her younger opponent on the day but the commitment and determination in her game augur well for young Sammut, the Under-14 Malta champion.
This title was the culmination of another eventful year for Genovese including a good number of participations in overseas tournaments and the satisfactory results in the Federation Cup group matches in Moldova.
Asciak and Callus won the men’s doubles final 6-2 6-4 after a battling encounter against Mark Gatt and Raphael Sammut.
The sizeable crowd at the Marsa Sports Club for the occasion witnessed some great tennis during this match with the favourites, Asciak and Callus, living up to their billing but having to endure very consistent and aggressive play from their opponents before wrapping up a second set that could have gone either way.
“The Gatorade Malta Open is the showcase of the best players we have on our shores and this year’s tournament showed the great potential that some of the players have,” Godwin Borg, tournament director and chairperson of the Tennis Section at Marsa Sports Club, said in a statement.
He also thanked the sponsors for their continued support of the local game and the Tennis Section committee for the smooth running of the championships, held under the auspices of the Malta Tennis Federation.
David Farrugia Sacco, president of the Malta Tennis Federation, distributed trophies to the winners and runners-up.