California kid strikes again at Holiday Beach

Bassam Baidas advanced to the Holiday Beach Open final Tuesday after defeating the spirited Adou Abou Naoum 6-4 6-0 in a surprisingly close affair. After an admirable first set performance, Abou Naoum retired in the second set at 4-0 after completely running out of steam. Baidas now assumes his berth in Thursday’s final, following the withdrawal of Thomas Will in Wednesday’s proposed semi. Five o’clock saw the return of the prodigal son, as Bassam Baidas took to the Holiday Beach court in a bid to seize his second victim in as many days. The man tasked with the unenviable job of dethroning Baidas was Ado Abou Naoum, a well-rounded and formidable opponent, who is now well into his 40s, once boasted the No. 1 ranking in the men’s division. Baidas has been sidelined for a few weeks, due to a chronic shoulder problem, and his evident ring rust was hampering the prodigy in his attempt to click into full gear. Bou Naoum was doing the lion’s share of the frustrating as he peppered his shots back at Baidas, making the first set tough for Lebanon’s best player. The action was surprisingly tight, as Abou Naoum refused to relent to his world-renowned opponent, stifling Baidas to the best of his abilities as the set rumbled on. The set for Abou Naoum though, would be a step too far, as Baidas eventually prevailed to the tune of 6-4. The set told a completely converse tale, with Baidas visibly irked after surrendering four games in the first. His groundstrokes were emitting a starkly different sound to those of the first set, with a deafening thud resonating through the air. Abou Naoum suddenly found himself in untested waters, if the first set exemplified Baidas’ Mr. Hyde, Abou Naoum was promptly introduced to Jekyll in the second. The California kid was in no mood to hang about, bringing out the wrecking ball to completely eviscerate Abou Naoum in the second set. The 46-year-old Abou Naoum exerted himself to the absolute limit and this would prove his undoing in the second, as the underdog resembled a fish out of water, gasping for air after every shot. And after succumbing to an early 4-0 deficit, Abou Naoum unceremoniously retired, with the wear and tear of the match effectively debilitating the brave performer. In the day’s other matches Ibrahim Abou Chahine pulled off the upset of the day, ousting the men’s No. 1 Jad Karaki 6-2 6-4 with Marc Doumit defeating Elie Kehdi in a marathon affair 7-6 6-4. In the veterans draw, Joe Thabet defeated Bahjat Rahme 9-0. Chukri Nakhoul defeated Mohammad Abdel-Khalek 9-1, and Elias Fadel beat Joe Voter 9-5. The action resumes Wednesday with Marc Doumit taking on giant killer Ibrahim Abou Chahine in the men’s semifinals, with the winner facing the indomitable Bassam Baidas in Thursday’s final. From TheDailyStar