Sixth-seed shows poise in finals win

CHRIS HUMPHREYS

Published: June 15, 2008

In a somewhat unsettled Men’s Open Draw of the 48th Central Virginia Invitational Tennis Tournament, Radford rising senior and CVITT sixth seed Martin Sayer was anything but unsettled in the championship match against tournament top seed Brett Ross on Sunday at Oakwood Country Club.

Sayer, who was born in Hong Kong and lived there for 18 years until Highlanders coach Mike Anderson showed up at his door, rallied from an early break of service at 1-all to take the first set.

Sayer kept rolling and won his sixth straight game by breaking Ross’ serve in the first game of the second set. He took that set to claim the 2008 CVITT Men’s Open championship 6-3, 6-2.

“It was tough match and nice to play in front of good crowd,” Sayer said. “(Coming back after being broken early) was very important. I was really happy with my efforts there. He just came out of the blocks flying.”

Said Anderson: “He’s a slow starter, and I have watched so many of his matches that when (Sayer) was broken in the first set, I wasn’t worried at all. I knew he was going to come on.”

Sayer did two things to frustrate Ross, a touring pro and the 2006 CVITT champion and 2006 Wake Forest graduate.

First, Sayer served well. When he didn’t, he played the big points on his serve better than Ross. Ross had break points in only three games and went 1-for-5.

Sayer also displayed excellent patience. He opted not to go for the early winners, despite that being in his hard-court background. Instead, he tried to maintain pressure on Ross by getting the ball back across the net.

“Almost from second game on it was my game plan to spin the ball back and try to make life miserable for him,” Sayer said.

Said Anderson: “(Sayer) played a very, very, smart match. I think it was just his fourth time on clay.”

Ross, on the other hand, was visibly disturbed with inability to put away the few chances that Sayer gave up.

“At first I was able to work his backhand a little bit but then he started rolling it (with his backhand) and that threw me off,” Ross said. “He hit the ball cleaner than me. I just couldn’t put away the chances I was getting. I was little too sloppy and he served well, which didn’t give much of an opportunity.”

Ross will be playing in tournaments along the East Coast this summer and hopes to be able to go to South America this fall and play professionally.

“This tournament gets better every year,” Ross said. “I won two years ago and it was a lot of fun and this year I lost in the finals and still had a lot of fun.”

Sayer will be taking this fall off from Radford to play some tournaments but will return in the spring to compete for the Highlanders. The sports management major with a business minor has plans to attend graduate school after this coming school year and serve as Anderson’s assist coach at Radford.

Carl Clark and Trevor Spracklin, the third-seeded doubles team, dominated the Men’s Open Doubles Draw with their serve and breezed to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over the unseeded team of Virginia Tech seniors, Albert Larregola and Ingaci Roca. Larregola and Roca won just six points when Clark and Spracklin were serving.

Clark and Spracklin have been a very successful doubles team for several years until injuries sideline the each of them for most of last year. Clark had surgery and Spracklin broke his foot just before the CVITT.

“We only played one tournament (together) last year, but by the end of (this) tournament we were really starting to pick it and starting to play the way we used too and still can play,” Clark said.

Said Spracklin: “It was just great to get back out there with Carl. We’ve been playing together for the better part of seven or eight years now. It feels like we are right back in step and hopefully we’ll have a great summer. It’s just great to be back (at CVITT). It’s just a joy be here and see the people out here.”

Spracklin, who defeated Clark 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-6) to claim the 2004 CVITT singles championship, is now teaching at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. Clark, the head pro at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond, also won the Men’s 35 Draw by knocking off Oakwood’s club pro Mark Vines 6-1, 6-3.

“I played well but I don’t think Mark played as well as he probably could have,” Clark said. “It’s tough to host a tournament and play. He looked a little tired and I moved him around a little.”

Clark is a 22-year veteran of the CVITT.

“It was great to come back we’ve got some good friends in Lynchburg,” Clark said. “People always come and greet me that first day. There is an ambiance (about it).”

Bobby Shields, from Keeling, claimed the Men’s 45 Singles championship with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 victory over Lynchburg’s Cecil Jackson.

Robert Davis, from Charlottesville, defeated Virginia Beach’s Bill Winder 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the Men’s 55 Singles championship. Bill and Richard Stevens defeated Kenneth West and Clark Wingfield 6-4, 6-0 in the Men’s 55 Doubles.