Scott Redmond says internal negativity got the best of him after suffering a first-round exit in the Bermuda ITF Junior Open.One of three local players who have qualified for the main draw, Redmond endured a frustrating encounter against Aiden Drover-Mattinen, of Canada, going down in straight sets 6-1, 6-1 yesterday.Redmond, who returned to Bermuda from Bloomsburg University, in Pennsylvania, to feature in the tournament, admits that the mental side of the game continues to be the crux of his problems on court.“It wasn’t my best performance, everyone can have bad days and I guess today was one for me,” he said. “I wouldn’t say my opponent was that much better than me. He was good, but I didn’t play anywhere near my best and he took control.“It’s hard being in your own head during a match. It’s always been a problem for me and it’s a bad habit I’ve got. “Usually my head gets the best of me in a lot of matches and today was one of those occasions where it did.“When I’m playing well, I’m overly confident and really vocal in a positive way, but once I get a little negative it starts to show in my play and strokes.”Despite his own disappointment, Redmond spoke of his delight at seeing such a prestigious tournament taking place on island.“To have this tournament here is fantastic,” said Redmond, who was among 40 juniors aged 18 and under, from 14 different countries, competing for world-ranking points.“There are no tournaments of this level on island and it’s great to have some top-level players competing.“It’s amazing for the progression of tennis on island and the experience in playing in these type of events is brilliant.”Redmond will now turn his attention to the doubles, where he will partner fellow local player Tariq Simmons.Simmons, who is seeded at No 6 in the singles tournament got a bye into the second round, as did compatriot Trey Mallory, who is seeded at No 4.“We’ve still got Tariq and Trey seeded in this competition so hopefully they can go really far,” Redmond added. “They will have local support, including me, and hopefully that can be a real advantage to them both.”Simons will face Luca-Julian Hotze in round two today, after he overcame Lucca Lafrance 6-1, 3-6, 7-5, while Mallory will face Pranav Ikkurthy, who defeated David Asenov 6-2, 6-3.Meanwhile, Azariah Rusher beat Pascal Tylek 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, while Christophe LeBlanch overcame William Maxx 6-2, 6-1. There was also a victory for Amil Dodds who overcame Liam Drover-Mattinen 6-3, 6-4, while Haitam Aboufirassi beat Jaxon Harbour 7-6, 1-6, 7-6.In the girls’ singles competition, Eve Costantini defeated Isabelle Exsted in straight sets 6-1, 6-2, while Eva Goncharov prevailed in a close-fought match against Lorna Flores, winning 6-4, 6-4. Orly Ogilvy beat Tangia Riley-Cordington in another hard-fought game, eventually winning 6-4, 6-4, while Catherine Denysiewicz-Slowek enjoyed a comfortable 6-0, 6-2 success versus Morgan Mattson.