Alex Ferrer defeated Ron Barlot of Calgary 7-5, 6-3 to clinch the Canmore Cup Men's Open tennis title, Sunday (July 19) at Veterans Park.
Alex Ferrer defeated Ron Barlot of Calgary 7-5, 6-3 to clinch the Canmore Cup Men's Open tennis title, Sunday (July 19) at Veterans Park.
Ferrer and Barlot traded powerful groundstrokes and precise volleys through the first set, as the skilled players put on one of the finest displays of tennis in the Bow Valley.
“Ron is a good player. We just kept playing until 5-5, then I broke him,” Ferrer said.
He took over in the second set, forcing Barlot into several errors as the game went on. Barlot, who finished second last year as well, battled mightily to fight back, but Ferrer was too strong in the end.
“It feels great. This is my first time playing here and it's absolutely beautiful. It's a great organization and the guys did a great job organizing it. I hope next year will be even better,” Ferrer said.
Ferrer has played tennis since he was eight years old, and is now the 71st-ranked player in Canada. His dreams of going pro are well behind him, so he says fitness goals keep the 29-year-old on court.
He used the Canmore tournament as a warm-up for the Alberta Open next week.
“I was trying to get into the rhythm of match play and work on my strokes, and get some wins under my belt,” Ferrer said.
He said the event will gain in popularity as more Calgary players discover it.
“It would be great to post this tournament on Tennis Alberta. More people will come,” Ferrer said.
