THE pairings have been decided for today’s semi-finals of the ATL Autohaus Volkswagen Junior/Mentor Tennis Classic at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston.

Yesterday, Shantal Blackwood and her partner Gordon Edwards stopped Thomas John Williams and Yussuf Migoko, 8-4, in their quarter-final to set up a semi-final encounter with Peter Mahfood and mentor Marcus Malcolm.

Malcolm and Mahfood beat Douglas Fletcher and his mentor Garfield Forbes, 8-2, to advance to the final four.

The other semi-final will feature Antonio Rizza and his partner David Shirley against the duo of Simon Levy and Nelson Forsythe.

Shirley and Rizza were taken to eight games by Nicholas Bryan and Carl Blissett, prevailing 8-7 (12-10).

In their encounter Levy and Forsythe stopped the father-son pair of John Azar and John Azar Junior, 8-3.

The two-day Junior/Mentor Tennis tournament is the brainchild of local tennis coach and Tennis Jamaica’s national director of junior development, Lockett McGregor who started the programme two years ago.

“Because at that time there was a big disconnect between our junior players and corporate Jamaica and our senior players and past players,” he told the Sunday Observer.

“So I thought it would be a good idea to have a junior mentoring programme,” McGregor said.

Marketing Manager of ATL Autohaus, Judith Denton, told the Sunday Observer they got involved in sponsoring the event because of the intent behind the tournament.

“Adult amateurs select a junior’s name and they’re teamed with them as doubles partners… the mentors are meant to continue in the juniors’ lives whether it’s on court or off court provide moral support and encouragement so that’s why,” she explained.

Trophies will be awarded to the winners and runners-up following today’s conclusion.