By Richard Achore
ACCRA, Ghana — American teenager David Beckles has been crowned the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors J60 Accra Boys’ Singles champion, defeating Ghana’s Raphael Nii Nortei Dowuona 6-4, 7-6(4) in a closely contested final at the National Tennis Centre, Accra Sports Stadium.
Beckles held his nerve in a competitive championship match, taking the opening set 6-4 before edging the second-set tiebreak 7-4 to secure the title.
The victory capped a strong run through the latter stages of the Tennis Foundation Ghana (TFG) Open, where Beckles overcame two Ghanaian opponents on his way to the championship.
In the semi-finals, the American produced a composed performance against Ghanaian Kingsley Amenuveve Alormenu, winning 6-1, 6-4 to book his place in the final.
Dowuona, meanwhile, earned his place in the championship match after defeating Great Britain’s Denzell Darkey 7-6(4), 6-2 in the other semi-final. The result gave the Ghanaian an opportunity to challenge for the title on home soil.
The final brought together two players who had impressed throughout the tournament, with Beckles eventually completing the campaign as champion.
For Dowuona, reaching the final represented a significant performance in front of a home crowd, while Beckles’ victory added another international junior title to his developing career.
The J60 Accra is part of the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors, a pathway that provides young players with opportunities to compete internationally, gain ranking points and build experience at a crucial stage of their development.
The tournament is being staged at the National Tennis Centre at the Accra Sports Stadium under the Tennis Foundation Ghana Open, bringing together junior players from Ghana and several other countries.
With the boys’ singles final now concluded, the J60 Accra has once again provided a platform for emerging tennis talent from Africa and beyond to compete at an international level.
David Beckles — J60 Accra Boys’ Singles Champion.