The Abaco Tennis Association (ATA) hosted its first junior national tennis tournament in Marsh Harbour, Abaco. The tournament featured girls and boys in the U14 category. Participants from Nassau and Grand Bahama joined tennis athletes from Abaco in some very competitive matches. The President of the ATA, Cameel Mcdonald, welcomed everyone at the Opening Ceremony in Forrest Heights. The ATA was pleased to have this opportunity to host the juniors in this inaugural junior tennis event. The tournament is sanctioned by the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA).
The BLTA congratulates the ATA on organizing and hosting its maiden national junior tennis tournament which is on its 2023 calendar of events. These tournaments aid in developing tennis and it is important that this development occurs throughout The Bahamas. The juniors have access to tennis tournaments throughout the Bahamas and are able to participate and take part in more matches to aid in their development.
The winners of the 2023 ATA U14 tournament are:
Boys Champion: Aiden Ritchie
Runner Up: Synaj Watkins
Girls Champion: Tatyana Madu
Runner Up: Caitlyn Pratt
Sportsmanship Boy: Alessio Batello
Sportsmanship Girl: Kiona Orlando
In the girls division Savannah McKinney and Anya Hepburn finished 3rd and 4th respectively. On the Boy’s side, Dylan Sykes and O’Neal Hanna finished in the 3rd and 4th positions. The BLTA President Perry Newton, Mr Raymond McKinney and Sirluke Innocent were all on hand to congratulate the winners and present the awards. Aiden Ritchie captured his first championship title and both Aiden and Synaj competed in their first U14 finals. The finals went to a three-set thriller with Aiden coming out on top 10-8 in the tiebreak. Tatyana Madu clinched another U14 championship title and Caitlyn competed in her first U14 finals. Tatyana who is the number one ranked in the U14 had a very dominant performance not dropping a set during the three-day event. We extend congratulations to all the participants in this historic debut tournament in Abaco!
The future of tennis is indeed bright; keep shining juniors, keep shining ATA! The next scheduled tournament on the calendar is the AID Claycourt Championships, the event features junior and adult categories. The entry deadline is tomorrow August 9th, please email aidclaycourts@hotmail.com for more information.
Original Post Date: 8/8/2023
