Young tennis players hold their own in SVGTA tournament

The top junior Tennis players who excelled in the Vita Malt tournament were rewarded with their trophies last Saturday afternoon at the National Tennis Centre, Villa.{{more}}

Although the awards came three weeks after the conclusion of the tournament, this did not detract from the glee of the recipients.

Bucketing the bulk of the trophies were Akeil De Roche and Gabrielle Benn. Both De Roche and Amarlia Benn won two singles titles and a doubles title. De Roche pouched the Boys Under-12, defeating his Grassroot Tennis Club team mate Rio Connell and overcoming a former GTC player, Richard Hoyte, to take the Boys Under-14.

De Roche had teamed up with Antonio Cain to dispense with the pair of Richard Hoyte and Malcolm Winter, to secure the Boys Under-14 doubles.

Likewise, Gabrielle Benn ousted her twin sister Amarlia in both the Under-14 and Under-16 singles.

But the identical twins pooled their efforts to take home the trophy in the Under-14 doubles. The Benns outlasted the duo of Mkyla Williams and Alexei Humphrey on their way to the doubles title.

Champing two titles in the tournament was Imani King who claimed the Boys Under-18, ahead of Taj Ballantyne and with Akeem Guy, ousted brothers Alex and Sebastian Cyrus, en route to the Under-18 doubles glory.

The other titles were pouched by Rio Connell, Briana Nash and Taj Ballantyne.

In a good outing for the Grassroot Tennis Club at the national level, Connell saw off his young brother Che to take the Boys Under-12, while Nash defeated Nikalette Hadaway for the top spot in the Girls Under-12 singles.

Ballantyne’s silverware was attained in the Boys Under-16, as he left Sebastian Cyrus to settle for the runner-up spot.

Forty players contested the tournament.