KINGSTON:

THE 2014 staging of the Sagicor Bank All Jamaica Junior Tennis Championships, which serves off today and runs through to Sunday at the Eric Bell Tennis Centre, is set to unearth the island's latest set of talented youngsters.

The premier tennis tournament for youngsters in the island began in 1951, and 2014 will see the 63rd edition.

Aswad Morgan, first vice-president of Tennis Jamaica, is encouraged by the calibre of young athletes and predicted they would advance to represent the country at the senior level.

"Our local entrants will be better off from this competition and move on to be future senior national representatives," he said. "Tennis Jamaica is happy to partner with Sagicor Bank again to present this top-level International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior tournament.

"These international tournaments are a major part of our overall junior development programme. We are looking forward to yet another successful tournament," said Morgan.

Sagicor Bank will be the title sponsors for the eighth consecutive year.

"Jamaica has excelled on the world stage in various capacities and tennis is no exception. Sponsorship of this tournament is just one of the ways that Sagicor Bank supports the development of young athletic talent in Jamaica," said Rejeanne Campbell, brand manager, Sagicor Bank.

exciting encounters

Over 100 participants are expected to contest this year's championships. The girls' section will be contested in the Under-12, -14, -16 and -18 categories, while the boys' section will see exciting encounters in Under-14, -16 and -18. There will also be boys' and girls' open doubles.

Last year, Andrew Bicknell and Shea-Ann Kameka teamed up to win the mixed doubles. Bicknell was the champion of the boys' Under-16 and -18, while Kameka triumphed in the girls' Under-14 and -16. Both Bicknell and Kameka are expected to return to this year's championships.