ITF junior tournament facing court matters

The prospect of St Vincent and the Grenadines hosting future International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior tennis tournaments hinges on the conditions of the playing surfaces here.{{more}}

When the 2014 edition took place here at the National Tennis Centre at Villa from Monday, August 11 to Friday, August 15, only the Under-18 category was contested.

This was because of the unfavourable reports of the conditions of the courts, according to president of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Tennis Association (SVGTA) Miles Boyea.

In a letter released prior to the tournament, Boyea, referring to the physical conditions of the courts at the National Tennis Centre in Villa and the Grassroot Tennis Centre at Murray’s Road, informed: “The report from last year stated both venues (NTC and GTC) need resurfacing. Specifically at the NTC the practice court needs serious repairs and at GTC the surface is very slippery because of the material used to resurface, even with a slight drizzle, and they are required to have artificial lights, given the uncertainty of the rainy season.”

In looking ahead, Boyea suggested “Worse case scenario we would have to adopt what happens in St Lucia where they have six courts and the U14s starts midweek with a reduced size draw of 16 (Boys and Girls).”

Despite the scaled down tournament this year, there was still participation from fifteen countries, including St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The participating countries were Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Canada, Chile, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Philippines, St Lucia, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, USA and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

In total, there were 32 entries in the boys’ segment and 20 in the girls.

When time was called on the tournament, eighth seed Tifanny Huber of the USA beat her compatriot Mc Kenzie Majerle, the seventh seed, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, to take the girls’ singles title.

In the girls’ doubles, the pair of Julia Fisch of the USA and her Guatemalan partner Camila Ramazzini saw off Nicole Bunea of Canada and Melena Lopez of Barbados, 7-6, 6-2.

Copping the boys’ singles title was number one seed Oscar Janglin of Sweden, who beat the number two, Franz Luna Lavidalie of Guatemala, 6-3, 6-0, while the USA duo of Jason Legall and David Mitchell dismissed Lavidalie and Brian Shi of the USA, 7-6, 6-3.

St Vincent and the Grenadines was represented by Imani King and Taj Ballantyne in the boys’ draw and twin sisters- Luka and Denee Lyttle. However, all four did not get past the first round.

St Vincent and the Grenadines began hosting the ITF grade five junior tournament in 2007 and has done so each year since.(RT)