Miller shines brightest at 2023 Innovative Invitational Classic
Published:Tuesday | June 20, 2023 | 12:43 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
LOCAL tennis star Jeremy Miller has put the fraternity on notice, yet again, as he took the men’s open championship with an emphatic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory over David Goldsmith at the inaugural Innovative Invitational Amateur Tennis Classic at the Liguanea Club on Saturday. Miller, who also pocketed $100,000, stated that it took a lot of mental work to win the championship, but was pleased with his victory.
“It feels really good, as it’s the first open tournament they’ve had in Kingston for the year. So I wanted to start off strong, and once I got going and defeated Dwayne Pagan and then Damian Johnson, I said to myself that I really think I can do this. It was a lot of mental work, but I got myself over the line,” Miller stated.
After winning the opening set 6-3, Miller then went down 6-3 in the second set. Entering the deciding third set, which he eventually won 6-4, he stated that he didn’t change much in his game plan as he felt the second set defeat was down to fatigue. Playing at the Liguanea Club, a place he calls home, Miller stated that he drew on the support which, thankfully, worked in his favour.
Home crowd support
“I really didn’t change my game plan. I think in the second set what happened was I was a little bit spent. I initially started out well, but got a little flat in the middle of the set. I again started off well in the third set and needed an extra bit of push and energy, so I definitely drew that from the crowd, because it was a home crowd support for me,” he added.
Miller stated that having prior knowledge of the never-say-die attitude of his opponent Goldsmith helped him to remain focused on his task, as he was well aware that any mistake he made could have cost him dearly in the final.
“David is not a person to give up, as he will fight to the last. So, I knew for a fact that he was going to push and just wanted an opening – he was trying different things – but I thought that I stayed focused and stuck to my game plan, which carried me over the line,” Miller revealed.
The 2023 men’s open champion also stated that he was pleased to hear Garth Walker, Innovative System’s executive chairman, announce that he’s keen on sponsoring more tournaments like these to showcase more of the professional tennis stars on the local circuit.
“It’s there, it’s great. I was so glad at the end that Walker said that he was more enthusiastic about keeping the tournament going. As of late, there’s more amateur tournaments and not so much for the pros. The quality is here, but sometimes there isn’t the platform for us to showcase it, so that is what I’m hoping to see more of,” Miller concluded.