ON THE BACKHAND: Eventual champion, Kristen Lopez makes a return in the women's singles final of the Island Heritage Open. Picture: Charles Pitt-Grant

YOUTH PREVAILED over age and experience when Kristen Lopez defeated Alexine Marshall 6-2, 7-5 to win the Island Heritage Open women's title at the National Tennis Centre on Wednesday night.

It was the second successive open title for the 16-year-old student of the Ursuline Convent, adding to the Under-18 title she earned earlier when an injured Alyssa Fuentes was unable to compete.

Lopez was also runner-up to Fuentes in the Under-16 division.

"I am happy I won, but even though I won, I am not pleased with my serve because I know I can do better. I hope I can win it next year as well," Lopez said.

"The backhand was good and the forehand was okay, but my game needs to improve a little bit."

The serve was causing problems from the warm-up and the trend continued throughout the match.

Lopez had about 12 double service faults, seven alone in the first set. If that part of her game had come together, the score could've been quite different.

Lopez, the daughter of former men's No. 1 Sydney Lopez, won the first four games and could've gone ahead 5-1, but lost at love through a series of unforced errors.

She rallied in the very next game to break Marshall and then blew the chance to win on her serve.

Lopez led 40-15 for the set, but made two consecutive double faults and the game went to deuce. She fought off three breaks before gifting Marshall the game with a long hit.

However, she easily broke in the very next game to claim the set.

After starting slowly in the first, the second set was quite the opposite for the 45-year-old Marshall who broke Lopez, held serve and then broke again to rush to a 3-0 lead.

As her father and little sister, Melena, the Under-12 champion, watched from the gallery, Lopez dug deep to play herself back into the match, winning the next five games.

Trailing 3-1, she held Marshall at love (3-2) after the latter played four straight unforced errors and then broke again (3-3).

The turning point came in the very next game. A double fault on serve, a long hit and net return saw her tottering at 15-40 and seemingly squandering all the work she had put in. However, some strong returns and an unforced error by Marshall took the game to deuce.

Lopez took the first advantage and then won the game to survive three breaks and went ahead 4-3. She broke Marshall at love to take a decisive 5-3 lead, but let herself down on her serve again, with a long hit on return, a net error, double service fault and another net error, broken at love.

To her credit, Marshall did not whimper out, fighting back to tie the game 5-5. Lopez went ahead 6-5 by holding her serve at love and then held Marshall at love, the winner coming on a beautiful forehand shot which fell on the baseline.

The match was good preparation for Lopez who will be heading to Curacao this weekend to compete in an IFT Under-18 Tournament.

Bernard Frost and Bill Forde advanced to the men's doubles finals, beating Julian Baird and Jason Small 7-6, 6-7, 3-6. Baird and Small were leading 5-2 in the second set and should have closed it out, but gave their opponents a fighting chance and they took it.

Matches continue at 3:30 p.m. today. (PR)