Six young locals to compete in junior tennis tournament in Puerto Rico

Six young tennis players from the British Virgin Islands (BVI) will be travelling to Puerto Rico later this month to compete in the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Caribbean Junior Development Tournament.

The names of those players are Amia and Declan Wheatley, Deandrea Baijnauth, Malaika Bowens, Mikyly McMillan and Zoe Richards.

“We are doing more with less, we are sending more kids to tournaments and that is something that we are proud of what we are accomplishing. In the past, it was one and two and four children and for this year 2019 we’ve increased to six kids who are going to this development tournament,” President of the BVI Tennis Association Carol Mitchell said.

Mitchell said the increased number is associated with the growth of the sport in the territory as more children are becoming interested in playing tennis.

She added that the opportunity to play in a larger country will benefit the children since they will be also playing in a tennis affiliated atmosphere.

“I want them to really gain the experience as it is a development tournament, so I am looking for them to get the experience, have fun and just enjoy themselves. The good thing is that they will be playing different players. The sport is big in Puerto Rico with one of their countrywomen Monica Puig winning Olympic Gold back in 2016,” Mitchell said.

President Mitchell also thanked the BVI Olympic Committee for financially making it possible for the players to participate in the tournament.

The tournament which saw 120 children participating in 2018, runs from August 23 to 25 is open to beginner and intermediate players.

It seeks to provide them with on-court experiences following the recommended progression using three balls at once. These balls include; the orange ball which is used for players 10 and under, the green dot ball for players 12 and under and the regular ball for ages 14 and under.