It was d?j? vu – except for the outcome.

In an enthralling reversal of fortune, Jenson Bascome ousted Ben Ureta to win the 2002 Colonial Open Men's A singles championship on Saturday and evoke memories of last year's final when he bowed to the Chilean player.

Once again it took three sets for a winner to be determined between these two competitive players and when Ureta blasted a backhand into the net on match point, the appreciative crowd at Pomander Gate Tennis Club applauded not only Bascome's 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory but also the fierce tussle between these finalists in their two-hour showdown.

"It feels good. This is my first Colonial title. I've been in the final here for the last three years. The first year I lost to Ricky (Mallory) and last year to Ben, so it's third time lucky, I guess," said 22-year-old Bascome.

His triumph spoiled a fairytale tournament for Ureta and his girlfriend Zara DeSilva, one of the Island's top female players.

DeSilva had earlier captured the Ladies' A singles crown from Ashley Brooks 7-5, 6-2 and on Friday evening she and Ureta won the Mixed Doubles 6-1, 6-3 from Mallory and Laverne Stowe.

Both Bascome and Ureta began rather erratically exchanging service breaks in the first two games of the first set. Bascome broke his opponent again in game four and got into a rhythm while benefiting from countless unforced errors by Ureta who struggled with his groundstrokes. However, the defending champion broke to love in game seven and held in game eight to put the set back on serve.

Finding another gear, Bascome took the next two games with an ace and some neat drop shots the highlights of his play while a frustrated Ureta did his cause no good with errors on some crucial points.

While Ureta looked decidedly better from the start of the second set, it was not until game five that he secured a service break but Bascome returned the compliment in the very next game. Suddenly, the visitor was a changed man, reeling off some stunning shots and drawing a series of errors from Bascome who was a shadow of the player who won the opening set.

The Bermudian managed just a single point in each of the last three games of the second set and, in the blink of an eye, Ureta had swept back into contention, securing the set 6-3.

The third set was the most even but one pivotal moment swung the set and thereby the match in Bascome's favour. Serving in the third game, Ureta hit two forehands into the net and then another wide of the court to give his rival a triple break which Bascome did not squander. Try as he did, Ureta failed to retrieve the break and that proved the decisive difference.

"I knew how to play Ben since I played him last year. I knew he would hit the ball well and not make too many errors. So I had to be aggressive and try to get to the net when I had a chance. In the first set I was doing pretty good and then, in the second set, I started cracking a bit, missing too much, trying to go for too much and that let him back in the game because I was missing a lot of first serves.

"In the third set, my first-serve percentage came up and I didn't make as many errors and it put more pressure on him to come up with good shots," said Bascome, who has recently returned home after graduating from Temple University.

Bermuda's Davis Cup representative said the difference between this year and last year was that he knew Ureta would be defending his title so he trained harder for the tournament this time.

Ureta, 20, who has been playing tennis since he was five, said he was "a bit nervous" at first since the majority of fans were cheering for the hometown player.

"I started a bit slow and Jenson was attacking me a lot. He was playing some good shots, playing smart. In the second set, I started to concentrate more, hitting the ball more and moving it around and coming to the net.

"The third set was tight. We both hit really good points but he got the key by breaking me once," said the vanquished 2001 champion.

While disappointed at her boyfriend's loss, 18-year-old DeSilva rejoiced at her own Ladies' A championship and their Mixed Doubles success too.

"It was a really good final. It was tough and Ashley played very well. It could have gone either way. I was pleased with the way I played and, in the doubles, Ben and I played awesome, " said the Bermuda Federation Cup player who met Ureta at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy in Florida.

She and Ureta have both received full scholarships to University of South Carolina (in Spartanburg) which they will attend from next semester.