Mixed feelings for Bicknell after losing USTA final
Published:Monday | June 19, 2023 | 1:00 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
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Jamaica’s number one tennis player, Blaise Bicknell, believes he is a lot closer to winning his first professional tennis tournament after going down 2-1 to Italian Lorenzo Claverie in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Socal Pro series...
Jamaica’s number one tennis player, Blaise Bicknell, believes he is a lot closer to winning his first professional tennis tournament after going down 2-1 to Italian Lorenzo Claverie in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Socal Pro series final in San Diego yesterday.
Bicknell won the first set 6-3 and led 4-3 in the second set before Claverie rallied to level the match after a 7-5 win.
The Italian then found his rhythm in the third set to power to a 6-2 victory to take the match and his first pro title.
However, Bicknell says he has learnt a lot from his defeats and believes it is only a matter of time before he gets that first pro title win.
“I just want to keep looking forward,” he told The Gleaner after yesterday’s final. “There are positives and there are negatives to take away.
“I just plan to continue on the right track, and we will see the results soon,” he said.
The 21-year-old admitted that he had the game in his hands but said he felt the strain of an arduous week towards the end.
“It’s been a long week. I have played a lot of matches, a lot of tennis. I got through some tough matches, and today (Sunday) I was very close to winning the match, but things didn’t go my way. So both physically and mentally it was tough. I think I was really tired, and it was just a really tough match,” he declared.
Bicknell will not have much time to go back to the drawing board as he is down to compete in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) M15 South Bend tournament starting today.
He is hoping that this tournament will be the one where he gets his first win.
“I just have go back to the drawing board and get ready for the next tournament. Hopefully, I can go one better than the tournament that I just played,” he said.
The South Bend tournament will also be part of his preparation for the Central America and Caribbean (CAC) Games, which starts in a few weeks.
“This (South Bend) will be in preparation for the CAC Games as well, and I am looking to do well here, too,” he said.
Despite the defeat in yesterday’s final, the young star was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from Jamaican supporters.
“The support from Jamaica means a lot, and being able to represent Jamaica on this level of tennis makes me excited to keep going,” he added.