The Tribune

AFTER two days of competition, the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association crowned three champions in its 2023 AID Junior National Tennis Championships at the National Tennis Centre at the weekend.

In the under-8 girls division, Eden Storr captured the title over runner-up Christin McWilliam.

Londyn Mortimer was the winner of the under-20 girls division over runner-up Rebecca Bitan.

And Cory Conyers emerged as the champion in the under-10 boys division over runner-up Max Schick.

The BLTA congratulated Storr, Mortimer and Conyers on earning their titles. Conyers and Mortimer went all tournament long not dropping a set, while Storr captured the title in her first appearance at Nationals.

“We applaud the courageous young persons who competed at a high level in the U8/U10 section,” the BLTA stated. “There were 13 new players to the Nationals scene in these 2 divisions.”

The BLTA commended newcomers in the girls U-10 Daliyah Culmer and Kennadai Major along with Aidan Nsuli and Benjamin Cartwright on the boys side.

The youngest players in the tournament were Caia Bowe and Tatum Culmer.

“We want to encourage each player in their tennis journey as we saw very strong performances,” the BLTA stated. “We congratulate the parents and coaches who continue to support the players in their tennis growth.”

The BLTA also mentioned Esther Newton and Tara Mactaggart, the tournament referee and tournament director respectively, for a job well done over the weekend.

“We also saw growth in the umpires who were recently trained by Mickey Williams, putting their newfound knowledge into practice,” the NLTA further commented.

“Thank you for your time and energy in ensuring the event was successful.”

The BLTA will now turn its attention to this weekend when the U-12 through U-18 categories will complete their competition, starting on Friday, June 16th at 2pm at the NTC.

“The NTC continues to be the venue for young tennis athletes to display their skills in a competitive atmosphere,” the BLTA stressed. “The BLTA is excited by the explosion of young talent to the tennis scene as approximately 100 athletes will participate in the AID Nationals.”

It’s expected that 2022 champions will be defending their titles as the 2023 singles and doubles champions will be crowned.

Sponsors AID said: “AID is thrilled to be the official sponsor of the Bahamas Junior Nationals Tennis Championships. As an avid supporter of the tennis community in The Bahamas for over thirty years, we are honoured to support this tournament; the pinnacle of local tennis competition for the youth of this country.

“The company believes wholeheartedly that sports instills the discipline, perseverance, and responsibility needed to build well-rounded, productive citizens, and is excited to be a part of this remarkable sporting event.”