Good week for tennis

Tennis players, both juniors and adults, and friends of Tennis, experienced a memorable week for the sport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The week started with the top sixteen Men’s players entering the knockout round of the SVG Tennis Association’s 2009 Men’s Open Tournament.{{more}} Exciting matches were played at both the National Lotteries Tennis Court in Kingstown and the National Tennis Centre in Villa. On Thursday, 1987 Wimbledon Grand Slam Winner Pat Cash visited St. Vincent and played with a number of junior players at the National Lotteries Tennis Court.

It was quite a surprise and joy for the junior tennis players present to meet and play with Cash in such an intimate environment. Sunday was an event-filled day at the National Tennis Centre, where visiting Top-50 ATP player Andrew Sznajder coordinated a Tennis event open to all junior tennis players. Over forty junior players attended the event which included a motivational talk on “Winning in Tennis”, followed by ninety minutes of on-court drills and exercises. Many parents, spectators and players looked on as SVG’s junior tennis players executed drills to perfection.

Assisting coaches in the event were Samantha Goodluck and Onike Span. Sznajder, who is vacationing in SVG, will continue to assist Junior Tennis by playing with SVG’s top junior players on an individual basis throughout his stay. Sunday evening concluded with the Finals of the 2009 Men’s Open Tournament between Kirk DaSilva and Corey Huggins. Both top players treated spectators to a thrilling, three-set final, with Corey Huggins winning 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. Tournament Director, Samantha Goodluck, was pleased with the Tournament and the interest it generated.

The new Men’s Tennis rankings for SVG will be posted upon compilation at www.svgtennis.org as well as all tournament results. The SVG Tennis Association wishes to thank Mr. Pat Cash, Mr. Andrew Sznajder and all involved in the week’s activities of Tennis. The efforts of each individual – giving of their time and abilities – have profoundly impacted on SVG’s junior players as well as inspired friends of Tennis. The Tennis Association continues its efforts to promote Tennis through volunteerism to both children and adults in SVG…”Tennis – the Sport for Life”.