ITF Junior tournament serves off tomorrow

Over 150 junior tennis players from the USA, Europe, Canada, and the Caribbean, including Jamaica, will start competing for valuable international points tomorrow at two venues, the Liguanea Club and the Eric Bell Tennis Centre, in the 2018 ITF/COTECC Junior International Tennis tournament.

The Boys' and Girls' Under-18 tournament will be played at the Eric Bell Tennis Centre, while the Under-14 competition will take place at the Liguanea Club. Jamaica's leading junior players will be participating, and one of the favourites to take the Boys' Under-18 title is promising Blaise Bicknell, who is one of the top-seeded players in the region. Bicknell, who will be playing under the USA flag for this tournament, has been doing well on the international circuit and has just returned from a European tour in which he met great success.

Other Jamaican players who are expected to make an impact in the tournament are, among the boys, Nicholas Gore, John Chin, and Damani Cain, while Michaela Stephens and Jenna Harrison will be the main challengers in the girls' Under-18.

Sponsorship

Tennis Jamaica President Aswad Morgan said yesterday that he was pleased that 876 Water and Hi-Lyte have agreed to sponsor the tournament, which is the top junior tournament in Jamaica each year, and that some of the best junior players in the world will be participating. The top-seeded Under-18 girl is American Hina Inque, who is ranked at 257 in the world.

The qualifying section of the tournament will be on Saturday and Sunday, and the main draw will start on Tuesday, July 10, and end on Saturday, July 14.