PRESIDENT of Tennis Jamaica John Azar believes the ongoing King Alarm-sponsored Amateur Tennis Series has shown signs of significant growth over the opening two series of matches. The third staging will run from August 19-23 at the Eric Bell National Tennis Centre and will feature matches being played in men’s singles, women’s singles and mixed doubles. “The series has grown from strength to strength, so with each series you’re seeing more interest.
Persons can expect more of the same as we’re expecting another excellent one, and it’s certainly something that amateur players across the island look forward to,” he stated. According to Azar, the thinking behind the creation of the series was to develop the standards of players and assist in the growth of local tennis. “This amateur series caters to both males and females at all levels.
Once you put players of similar levels together it becomes extremely competitive. It’s just great to see more players on court and more spectators watching the matches,” Azar stated. According to David Sanguinetti, Tennis Jamaica tournament director, the organisers are looking at close to 100 participants for this month’s tournament.
He added that based on the opening two series, things are going according to plan. “The series has been going well and we’re excited about it. It has brought out a number of amateur players and they’re like the drivers behind local tennis, and we’re looking at around 90 participants in the events,” he said.
Sanguinetti added that he’s expecting another high-level series and expects the competitiveness to go up another notch. While there will be no overseas-based players in the four-part series, the tournament director remains convinced that the tournament will continue to showcase high-level tennis among the country’s best local talent. “We have four beautiful courts there and the tournament is run at a very high level.
The series has been very competitive, and every player is aiming to win their respective class. There are no overseas players in the series at the moment as it’s an all local-based player tournament,” Sanguinetti said. orane.
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