Colin wins 2nd championship in ITF tour

The CNMI’s Colin Sinclair in action against Marco Brugnerotto of Italy in the championship game of the M15 Guatamala Open last Nov. 28 in Guatamala City, Guatamala. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Colin Sinclair made his home islands proud again, annexing his second championship in the International Tennis Federation Men’s World Tennis Tour after winning the M15 Guatamala Open held from Nov. 22 to 28 in Guatamala City, Guatamala.

Seeded fourth, the 26-year-old defeated fifth seed Marco Brugnerotto of Italy in the championship, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.

The championship against Brugnerotto was the second straight game that Sinclair went the distance, as he also needed three sets to beat sixth seed Alejandro Mendoza of Bolivia in the semifinals, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 6-2. Prior to that the Cornell University alum needed two tiebreakers to triumph over unseeded Taha Taadi of Canada, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (4), in the quarterfinals.

Sinclair started the clay surface tournament on a high note after 6-3, 6-1 victory over Rafael Botron Neutze of Guatamala. He followed that up with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Osgar O’Hoisin or Ireland.

“I’m really happy with how the week went. Since getting promoted at Davis Cup I’ve felt like I’ve been playing good tennis but hadn’t gotten any results. I was able to beat Taha Baadi in the semis who had beaten me a couple weeks before and then I beat Marco [Brugnerotto] in the final in a really close third set. It was my first title in almost three years and I hope that I can keep this momentum for our Davis Cup World Group II tie in March,” Sinclair told Saipan Tribune.

The draw for the Davis Cup World Group II tie is set next week.

The CNMI’s Colin Sinclair, left, and Italy’s Marco Brugnerotto are all smiles during the awards ceremony of the M15 Guatamala Open last Nov. 28 in Guatamala City, Guatamala. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

It may be recalled that Sinclair helped Pacific Oceania to promotion to Group II of the Davis Cup in 2022 after beating Syria in the finals of Group III last September in Amman, Jordan.

The win in the M15 Guatamala Open was worth $15,000 for Sinclair. He is also expected to improve his No. 268 singles rankings with his second ITF career championship. He also is currently ranked 464 in doubles.

Sinclair first clinched an ITF men’s tour singles championship in 2019 when he won the Claremont Club Pro Classic in California. He beat Lucas Poullain of France, 6-3, 7-6, in the finals. Winning the Claremont Club Pro also netted the then 24-year-old Sinclair $15,000.

CNMI National Tennis coach Jeff Race also recently named Sinclair to the CNMI National Tennis Team for next year’s Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games. He is one of four automatic slots in the team. The others are fellow 2019 Apia, Samoa Pacific Mini Games doubles medalist Robbie Schorr, fellow mixed doubles gold medalist Carol Lee, and Isabel Herras. Incidentally, Sinclair also won the men’s singles gold in the quadrennial event.