Both the men's and women's singles finals of the Irish indoor tennis championships threw up their fair share of drama at Riverview yesterday. The packed gallery was treated to an exhilarating men's showdown, Scott Barron eventually beating Owen Casey, after the women's decider ended abruptly in the final set when Karen Nugent was agonisingly forced to retire with a severe back muscle strain, handing the title to Yvonne Doyle.
Barron and Casey renewed their rivalry at a pace and level of performance that might not have been entirely expected, both displaying great physical strength and technical ability over the course of the two-hour match. Barron had to locate deep reserves of energy to drag himself back from the brink of defeat in the closing stages before producing a roller coaster tie break to win.
A match point had been wasted by Casey as he served at 5-4 in the final set. Barron forged two break points but failed to capitalise before he finally managed to square the match 5-5, Casey slipping up in trying to clinch it on a "no advantage" point situation. It was gripping stuff and the tension began to tell as both were handed warnings for court violations. Barron was warned for verbally abusing an official.
Casey's problems had clearly started at the outset of that 10th game. He had been serving with such verve that he looked certain to polish off even an opponent of Barron's tenacity. Service games were swapped to set the stage for the tie breaker and it was then that Barron seemed to summon most of his best shots. He stormed away to an unpredictable 7-1 tie break win but was a well deserving 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 victor over the 29-year-old.
"I wish he would retire now and leave it to me," quipped Barron afterwards. "I cannot remember him playing so well. It could have gone either way." Casey was as gracious in defeat. "I have no complaints. every point was well contested. Scott played very well. I have nothing to be ashamed of and maybe I would like to see some of the guys around now playing in finals when they are 29." Barron (24) heads back onto the professional tour starting in India later this month. He has just come back from almost six months out through injury.
Karen Nugent's comeback bid after almost four years of illness ended in devastation for her in a marathon women's final when she was forced to retire at a crucial stage in the final set. Yvonne Doyle summed up the unsatisfactory ending: "It's not the same feeling winning it like this. I would rather have seen the match out to the end." The match was two hours and 15 minutes old when Nugent over-stretched on a serve and ripped a back muscle. The match at that point was very much in the balance with Nugent serving at 3-4.
Courtside treatment was administered by the physio and there were hopes of a resumption. Nugent resumed service only to realise the hopelessness of her position. She went to the net to concede at 0-40. "I reached too high on service and felt something give way. I could hardly breathe," she admitted.
Nugent pocketed the first set in the 12th game after frustrating her opponent, who served for the set in the 10th game. Doyle broke in the third, seventh and ninth games of the second set to level the match.
