Gavin Manders claimed the Island Construction Open crown on Saturday ? completing another stage in his pursuit of Bermuda?s number one tennis slot.

The confident 18-year-old, who made his Davis Cup debut earlier this year, defeated Jenson Bascome 7-5, 6-3 in a final that reflected the fatigue the two players had suffered over a week of hot, fast and furious action.

Manders, who had already missed out on his stated goal of all three titles at Pomander Gate after a 6-4, 7-5 mixed doubles loss alongside Ashley Brooks against Bascome and Laverne Stowe on Friday, admitted there was a certain amount of ?pushing? in his Saturday final.

?I beat Andy Bray, who is a big hitter, in a marathon game on Thursday, but this match was totally different,? said Manders, whose tiredness also stemmed from a top 80 finish in the May 24 Marathon Derby.

?This was more of a finesse game but there was a bit of pushing going on. We both had spurts where we would hit the ball hard, and then the other one would respond, but a lot of it was a case of keeping the ball in play.

?The winner was always going to be the one who was prepared to keep the rally going the longest.?

For Manders, who was seeded six in the singles, the victory over top seed Bascome was a sign of his steady progress through the rankings of Island tennis.

?Jenson is a Davis Cup veteran and he was a leader for me down in Costa Rica (where Bermuda avoided the wooden spoon with a last-day victory over the Eastern Caribbean),? said the youngster, son of top cricketer Arnold Manders.

?We played a couple of games down there, he won one, I won one.

?But I still have a long way to go and he is a still a leader for me and that is how it is when we play doubles together.?

In their third final of the weekend, Manders and Bascome went down 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 against Bray and the Island?s current number one, James Collieson.

Looking very much a team in their matching shirts, and following pre-serve behind-the-back tactical instructions, the young pairing certainly proved sturdy opponents against the big-hitting Bray and the experienced Collieson, although triple final fatigue took its toll.

But for Manders it was the singles victory that will spur him on into the next year and give him an opportunity to see how far he can take his racquet skills.

?This is an important time for me,? said Manders, who will be on the Island until early August before heading to Florida for a tennis camp and then returning here for the ITF junior tournament.

?I am really looking forward to going to college (Florida Gulf Coast University), not so much picking up my books again, but definitely the time on court.

?It is a good tennis school, ranked 15th in the country in Division II, and I really think I can take my tennis to the next level there.

?My aim is still to improve and try and reach number one here, which I know is going to be tough because James (Collieson) is a really strong player.?

?I want to be in a position next year where a wildcard spot for the XL Open is a possibility ? that is what I am working towards.?

Another teenager to reach three finals over the weekend was Ashley Brooks, who upset number one seed Zarah DeSilva 6-1, 6-4 in the ladies? final and also triumphed in the doubles alongside Stowe in a 6-0, 6-2, 45 minute hammering of Gill Butterfield and Jill Finnigan.

Brooks, just 16, is showing enormous potential and her year-on-year improvement is beginning to turn heads in Bermuda tennis.

Defeating defending champion DeSilva, whose serve seriously let her down throughout the final, Brooks showed how much she has improved and was a worthy winner in the baseline battle.