THUNDER BAY - Emotions were running high on the tennis court, as a sibling rivalry played out over three sets at the Mascarin Collision Mid Canada Open.
Dusty and Toby Boyer, of Ham Lake, Minn., battled for nearly two and a half hours at the Thunder Bay Community Tennis Centre on Sunday, before the older and more experienced Dusty finally edged out his little brother to win the men’s singles final 6-4, 4-6, and 6-3.
“It was a pretty tough battle there,” Dusty said after the win. “I was hoping it wouldn’t go to that third set, but unfortunately it did. But it was good. I think the people wanted to see some more tennis.”
It was a close match, with the two brothers exchanging wins throughout most of the first and second sets. During many games, they would exchange advantages several times, until Dusty was able to pull ahead in the first set, winning six games to four, only to fall behind early in the second set and see Toby take it by six games to four.
In the third set, Dusty took an early three game lead, but Toby came back, winning two games and then dropping another. With Dusty up five games to two, Toby fought off a triple match point, to pull within two games. But that was as close as he would get, and a crushing forehand down the line sealed the win for Dusty.
“I almost had him in the third set but he’s got a little more experience and he played the big points well and pulled away with it, but I was right there with him I think,” Toby said.
“I felt like I took the lead pretty early, so I thought he would go for things and I would win pretty easily, but he worked back and got it pretty close,” Dusty added. “I hit two really big shots to get the set. He didn’t fold or anything.”
Dusty, 25, and Toby, 22, have been playing against each other for years, and they admit that it can be a little strange having to face a family member in a final match.
“We know each other’s games really well,” Dusty said. “It’s whoever steps up first and whoever makes the easier mistakes and he kind of did that in the first set and I took advantage of that. It’s weird playing your brother.”
Both Boyer brothers were getting heated on the court, with frustration showing over missed shots and opportunities.
“Maybe we wouldn’t get as mad if you were playing someone else, but we wanted to beat each other so bad,” Dusty said. “We get a little heated sometimes. Not too bad, we have to drive home six hours together.”
Toby is yet to beat his older brother Dusty in tournament play, but things are getting closer, and he is catching up.
“We grew up and played every day,” he said. “He used to be so much bigger than me and used to whop on me, but now I’ve kind of caught up to him maturity wise, so hopefully in the next year or two it gets even.”
Luckily the brothers can work together and they took home the doubles championship as well.
For the women, Ysabel Nunez of Oakville, Ont. won the top spot in the women’s singles, beating her opponent in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1.
“It was a good match,” she said. “It was fun. I was able to keep a good serve and pass a little on her.”
This was Nunez’s first time competing in the tournament, but she said she is moving to Thunder Bay this fall and she hopes to compete again and help grow the sport of tennis in Thunder Bay.
“It was a lot of fun,” Nunez said of the tournament. “It was a great experience. The community is so supportive. They did a really great job with the tournament.”
The weekend long tournament saw more than 130 players competing, ranging in age from under 14-years-old to 55-plus.
