James ending final junior year in style

She has been playing tennis for 15 years, and 18-year-old Jamaican tennis star Alyssa James is looking forward to ending her years as a junior with a stellar performance at the final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year, the US Open for Juniors, which takes place at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, from September 6-12, 2026.

James, who has been having a stellar run this year, has earned an International Tennis Federation (ITF) top ranking of No. 42 this year, and this has enabled her to participate in the Main Draw of the Four Grand Slam tournaments, the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. She has done well so far, and told The Gleaner that the most exciting part of her journey so far was to not only play on the hallowed courts at Wimbledon, but to win her first matches there, in singles and doubles, a rare feat for a Jamaican player.

In the singles, she defeated Ophelia Davies from Britain 6-0, 6-4 and, in the doubles with her partner Sol Guidi, defeated Hannah Aaryault and Emery Combs from the US, 6-2,6-1. Although losing in the next round, Alyssa had created history, saying that winning on the hallowed courts of Wimbledon was a victory in itself, and her hope now is to return and put herself in a position to win a title there.

She regarded the Wimbledon experience as “mind-blowing”. The atmosphere, she said, was awe-inspiring and unforgettable, and it was particularly pleasing to have the benefit of Jamaicans cheering for her and waving their flags enthusiastically during the matches. It is an experience that she wants to have many more times in a tennis career she is hoping will be long and successful.

Prior to Wimbledon, she participated in the Australian Open, reached the quarter-finals in the doubles and won her first-round match at the French Open against Capucine Cedillo-Vayson Pradenne from France.

She said it has been a satisfying feeling to win at Grand Slam tournaments, and this has allowed her to set goals to not only win matches, but titles.

“There are no limits on my expectations and my willingness to aim for the top.”

She told The Gleaner that she had benefited tremendously from being selected to participate in the International Tennis Federation’s Grand Slam Player Development Programme, which is designed to provide assistance to talented players from developing tennis nations to participate in various tournaments and be provided with high-performance coaching.

With this assistance, she had therefore done well in tournaments prior to the Slams, among them capturing doubles titles in Paraguay and Brazil. Along the way, she also became the first player in the history of Jamaican tennis to win an ITF J500 title.

Her immediate goal is to report to her next stop, the University of Virginia, on August 1, to prepare for her sojourn there. She will be playing tennis for the university, which has an excellent programme, in addition to pursuing a degree in business.

“Hard work is ahead but I am prepared for the long haul,” she said.

The university will have the facilities to help her as she charts her course forward she said. She also took time out to pay tribute to her father, Marcus James, himself a university tennis player and business major at West Carolina University, who, she said, had not only passed his tennis genes on to her, but has also guided her skillfully and thoughtfully over the years.

“He has encouraged and coached me along the way, and his love for tennis has rubbed off on our family. With his assistance, the sky is the limit.”