By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE draw got harder but Devin Mullings proved once again why he’s the top male tennis player in the country. Coming off a six-month break to recover from hip surgery, the Grand Bahamian was pushed to the limit before he got into the final with a 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4 win over Kevin Major Jr. But in the final, he stepped it up a notch and used his wealth of experience to overpower Philip Major Jr in identical scores of 6-4, 6-4 to win the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s 2012 Giorgio Baldacci Open Challenge.

While the tournament honoured Baldacci with the name change and was sponsored by BTC for the first time, it was the 11th consecutive year that Mullings has topped the field of the Bahamas’ young tennis players who come home from the pro circuit and the various tennis academies throughout the United States.

“It feels good. I definitely didn’t play my best tennis this week, but I’m really happy with the way I fought,” Mullings said.

Mullings, the oldest player in the draw at age 27, admitted that the match against 17-year-old Kevin Major Jr really inspired him to play Philip Major Jr, who was the youngest player in the field at 16.

“I haven’t really played that many matches in a year, so to come out here and get through that third set match against KJ after being up 5-2 and let him come back having chance to stay on serve in the second set, losing that and being up 4-1 in the third and letting him come back before I finally closed it out, it feels good. It’s not all about playing your best tennis, but finding a way to win and that’s what I did.”

Having to dig down deep to win the two exciting matches is one thing, but for Mullings, the fact that he was able to still reign after his recovery from surgery was another thing.

“I think I’m about 75-80 per cent right now,” he said. “The doctors did tell me it would take about a year before I start feeling the way I should, but the strength is back. I still need to have a little more confidence in my lateral movement, but I’m feeling good. I still need to lose a few pounds so I can push myself a little more. I believe that by end of February, early March, I should be ready to go full steam ahead.”

He expressed his thanks to his fitness coach Ancil Tyrell and physio-therapist Jeff Duplessis in Florida, who have all helped him out tremendously in his rehabilitation.

As for the young guns coming up, Mullings acknowledged that the Major clan gave him a run for his money.

“I was really impressed with KJ. He was heaving a heavy ball. He stayed right there with me in the match. He never gave up,” Mullings said. “Today (Saturday), PJ also played a tough match. He has a big forehand, big serve for a lefty and he was able to slice the ball. They both have a bright future ahead of them. There are a lot of up and coming juniors like Jodi Turnquest, who I practiced with before I came here. He’s a very good player. These kids all have a bright future.”

Against Major Jr in the final, Mullings got the only break he needed in the first set at 5-4 to go on and seal the win. Mullings carried the momentum over to the second set when he opened with the only break and they both held serve for the rest of the match.

“I feel as though I came out pretty strong, but at one point I started to get too relaxed and I played too intense. I stopped playing my game plan and that caused me the match,” Major Jr said. “After he broke me in the first set, I got kind of frustrated and I wasn’t as focused as I should have been.”

Major Jr said he is confident that if he can stick with it, he can definitely improve and although he lost, he could use this as a learning experience to help prepare him for next year’s tournament.

Not to be left out, Kevin Major Jr also served notice that he will be back as well and he put Mullings on notice that the gap is closing.

“I started late in all three sets, so it was a battle for me,” Major Jr said. “He played steady. I made too many mistakes and that was how I lost. But I know this is just the starting point for me so I’m not worried about losing. I learnt so much from the match. He will always be there, so you have to beat him because he’s not going to beat himself. As long as the rally goes on, the more chances I had to win.”

Kevin Major Jr was named the most improved male player in the tournament.

The men’s doubles title went to Grand Bahamian brothers Rodney and Rasheed Carey, who teamed up to easily win the doubles title without breaking a sweat after Ceron Rolle and Philip Major Jr lost by default.

Tournament director Bradley Bain said with the talent they had on display this week, it was the best tournament since the inception of the December Invitational.

“We had a lot of younger players like KJ and PJ, Jodi (Turnquest) and Shaq (Shaquille Taylor) who all played well against the senior players,” Bain said. “It’s not really a changing of the guard yet, but the younger guys are stepping it up and they are making it more competitive. So in terms of the level of play, this is the highest we’ve had in a while, so that made the tournament as good as it was.”

And BLTA president Derron Donaldson said while there were some hiccups in the change in format for the first time this year, he was quite impressed that the players showed up and performed as well as they did.

“It was a great tournament. The juniors performed very well. Everyone now sees where they lie and how they stack up against each other,” Donaldson said. “So every time you put on a tournament, we will have some complaints, but overall we are satisfied with how the tournament went, especially as it was held in honour of Giorgio Baldacci. I think all of the players really played this one for him.” Donaldson also commended BTC for stepping forward and sponsoring the tournament.