In the open draw the Champion in the Men’s Singles division Ashwood Hall defeated Rodney ‘Hot Rod” Carey 6-4. The Ladies Singles Champion is Jessie Bastian who defeated Terah Smith 6-4. Jackson Bartlett and Terah Smith defeated David Thompson and Jessie Bastian in Mixed Doubles 6-4. The Men’s open Doubles was won by Rodney “Hot Rod” Carey and Dr. Almira who defeated David Thompson and Ashwood Hall 7-5.

In the Special Draw the Men’s Singles Champion is Demetrius Taylor who beat last year’s Champion Larry Hall 7-6 and in the Men’s Doubles Special Draw was won by Vince “Gun Slinger” Pennerman and Bishop Ben Ferguson who defeated Glen Smith and Drexel Porter 6-4.  

The organizers of the 2010 Championships wish to thank Mr. Jethro Miller, Attorney-at-Law for acting as patron of the tournament and all tennis players, fans, supporters and families who came out and joined in the fun, games and fellowship in Celebration of Freedom this August Monday Emancipation Holiday Weekend 2010 in record numbers ensuring this was the best attended local tennis event ever.

The results of the ProAm on December 4th at the Atlantis Tennis Center were as follows:

Winner of the Pro/Am: Mark Knowles & Thierry Matthey

Runner-up: Olga Savchuk & Juan Bacardi

Semi-finalists: Jared Palmer & Glenn Blumberg

Robert Kendrick & Alex Pier

Consolation Pro/Am Winners:

Winner: Martin Damm & Daron Roberts

Runner-up: Dean Goldfine & John Mallinger

Semi-finalists: Anna-Lena Groenefeld & Brendan Dunn

Marvin Rolle & Vince Menard

The 3 day Invitational started off with a wonderful Cocktail Buffet Party hosted by the Balmoral Club on 3rd December. The developers, Jason Kinsale and Raimond Zeilstra, staged a spectacular buffet and cocktail party which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The Calcutta auction of the teams playing in the ProAm on Friday, 4th December was heartily supported by many tennis fans, including Sarkis and Katie Izmirlian, Pippa and Peter Vlasov, Mark Holowesko, Laurent Colli, Christian Coquoz and Antonia Meade.

The results of the ProAm on December 4th at the Atlantis Tennis Center were as follows:

Winner of the Pro/Am: Mark Knowles & Thierry Matthey

Runner-up: Olga Savchuk & Juan Bacardi

Semi-finalists: Jared Palmer & Glenn Blumberg

Robert Kendrick & Alex Pier

Consolation Pro/Am Winners:

Winner: Martin Damm & Daron Roberts

Runner-up: Dean Goldfine & John Mallinger

Semi-finalists: Anna-Lena Groenefeld & Brendan Dunn

Marvin Rolle & Vince Menard

On Friday evening, the Ministry of Tourism hosted a dinner at the Fathoms Restaurant, Atlantis, with the cocktail party being sponsored by Lombard Odier.

Both the Ministry of Tourism and Atlantis Resort and Casino pledged their continuing support to this event.

Mrs. Vernice Walkine, Director General of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, in her welcome speech emphasized the wonderful contribution that Mark makes to The Bahamas every day that he is out there on a Professional Tennis Tour giving The Bahamas free advertising with every match he plays. She said that to then come back and host his fellow pros at the Atlantis, further establishes The Bahamas as the premier vacation experience.

Mr. J. Barrie Farrington, Vice-President, Atlantis, said that having known Mark since he was a toddler, he has taken great pride in his achievements. He said that Mark has risen to the top echelon of the tennis world and sets a wonderful example to all Bahamians. Atlantis will continue to support him in his event which showcases such world class athletes and exposes them to the Bahamas Atlantis experience. A great side benefit of the Invitational is the amount of money that it continues to raise for childrens’ charities.

Mr. Laurent Colli of Lombard Odier reiterated their appreciation of the event and lent special thanks to the touring professionals who competed in the event and were kind enough to be so gracious to the other competitors. He said that they made the event the success that it was.

Mr. R.E. Barnes, representing one of the charities – the Sassoon Heart Foundation – expounded that Mark’s donations have contributed to saving several youngsters’ lives and the impact of this cannot be over stated. He quoted a couple of specific examples which touched the audience and drew tears to the eyes of several people.

RESULTS of the EXHIBITION at National Tennis Centre on 5th of December:

Mark Knowles & Anna-Lena Groenefeld beat Martin Damm & Olga Savchuk 5-4

Benjamin Becker beat Robert Kendrick 5-4

Mark Knowles & Martin Damm beat Donald Johnson & Jared Palmer 5-4

All matches were extremely closely contested as can be evidenced by the scores and provided great excitement with the wide variety of shot-making displayed.

At the closing out the event, some of the top junior players had the opportunity to hit with the Pros and afterward obtained autographs and photos with them. This proved to be the highlight of the afternoon for the some 50 children involved.

Organizers of the Mark Knowles Celebrity Invitational wish to thank the following: Atlantis, Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch, Pictet Bank & Trust, Ministry of Tourism, The Balmoral, Serenity Point Abaco, TheBahamasWeekly.com, Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture, American Airlines, Kerry Gold, Everkey Global, Fiji Water, Kelly’s Home Center, HG Christie Real Estate, Mark Holowesko, Sean Farrington, Odyssey Aviation, Mark Da Cunha Photography, and Ashley Henderson Photography.