Barbados Road Tennis Open Showdown: Mark Griffith vs. Antonio Daniel at Garfield Sobers Sports Complex Tomorrow

The battle royal that all road tennis fans have been clamouring for will take place tomorrow night when two-time Barbados Road Tennis Open (BRTO) defending champion Mark “Venom” Griffith faces his nemesis, the explosive Antonio “Lil Man” Daniel, in the Gymnasium at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex in Wildey.

Since 2019 when Daniel returned from retirement to thwart Griffith’s bid to “three-peat” as the Silver Hill champion, road tennis fans could not get enough of the smoking battles between two totally opposite experts of the indigenous sport. Daniel is the relentless attacker while Griffith is the defiant defender.

However, the supremely fit Griffith has taken his uncanny defence to another level where he blunts repeated attacks, forcing his opponent to err or just fade through exhaustion. Daniel cannot afford to rally ten and 15 times to win a point and while his repertoire of smashes can breach Griffith’s fortress, his entertaining shots must be on target to stop his opponent.

With the semis being contested in the three-best-of-five format, Daniel’s supporters will be hoping he fires from ball one to end the battle in straight sets as quickly as possible. With the form Griffith has shown so far, it will take a miracle or something unusual for the No. 1 player to lose, furthermore in straight sets. (KB)