Caption: (l-r) Aswad Morgan, 1st Vice President of Tennis Jamaica accepts a symbolic cheque for $200,000 from Rejeanne Campbell, Brand Manager of Sagicor Bank on Tuesday, July 1 at Sagicor’s head offices in New Kingston. Looking on is Charmaine Alexander, Administrator at Tennis Jamaica. Sagicor Bank has sponsored Tennis Jamaica’s All Jamaica Junior Tennis Championships slated for this Thursday, July 3 through Sunday, July 6 at the Eric Bell Tennis Centre in Kingston. Approximately 100 participants have registered for the tournament which seeks to highlight talent among young local tennis players.
Kingston, Jamaica; The 2014 staging of the Sagicor Bank All Jamaica Junior Tennis Championships, slated for July 3 – 6 at the Eric Bell Tennis Centre is set to unearth the island’s latest set of talented youngsters in local tennis.
The All Jamaica Junior Tennis Championships is the premier development Tennis Tournament for youngsters in the island. The tournament began in 1951 and 2014 will see the 63rd edition of the championships.
Aswad Morgan, 1st Vice President of Tennis Jamaica is elated to yet again be able to host the tournament and is extremely satisfied with the calibre of young athletes on display as a result of the championships. “Our local entrants will be better off from this competition and move on to be future senior national representatives. Tennis Jamaica is happy to partner with Sagicor Bank again to present this top level International Tennis Federation Junior tennis tournament. These international tournaments are a major part of our overall junior development program. We are looking forward to yet another successful tournament,” says Morgan.
Sagicor Bank will be the title sponsors for the 8th consecutive year. Rejeanne Campbell, Brand Manager for Sagicor Bank says “Jamaica has excelled on the world stage in various capacities and tennis is no exception. Sponsorship of this tournament is just one of the ways that Sagicor Bank supports the development of young athletic talent in Jamaica.”
Over 100 participants are expected to contest this year’s championships. The Girls’ section will be competitive with matches slated for Under 12, 14, 16 and 18 while the Boys’ section will see exciting encounters in Under 14, 16 and 18. There will also be a Boys’ and Girls’ Open Doubles section.
The 2013 championships saw the crowning of impressive mixed double champions in Andrew Bicknell and Shea-Ann Kameka, Bicknell was the champion of the Boys’ Under 16 and 18 while Kameka triumphed in the Girls’ Under 14 and 16. Both Bicknell and Shea-Ann Kameka are expected to return to this year’s championships.
Over the years, the All Jamaica Tennis Championship has unveiled Jamaica’s top performing players. These are namely Tinesta Rowe – who went on to represent Jamaica for the Women’s Fed Cup, Dominic Pagon, Brandon Burke and more recently Daniel Harris – all past champions and members of the Davis Cup Team representing Jamaica. Dustin Brown, German-Jamaican international tennis player, is a past participant of the tournament. According to the ATP rankings, Dustin Brown is the world’s 78th best tennis player. At the Gerry Weber Open, recently – he beat Rafael Nadal, one of the world’s best, in straight sets.
Tennis Jamaica is governed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
You must be logged in to post a comment Login