TWELVE Jamaicans will be hunting places in the main draw of the 2011 International Tennis Federation (ITF) Jamaica Junior Tournament to begin at the Eric Bell Tennis Centre today at 9:00 am.

The annual ITF Jamaica Junior Tennis Tournament staged is part of the ongoing circuit in the Caribbean where players from all over the world are seeking vital world ranking points.

Apart from Jamaica, players from the US, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Bahamas, St Lucia, Belgium, Mexico, Grenada, Panama, Argentina, Israel, Venezuela, Aruba, Tunisia, Russia, France, Great Britain, Chile, Haiti, India and Australia will be on show.

Prior to arriving to play in the Jamaica leg of the Caribbean Circuit, many of the players have so far competed in the Bahamas, Aruba, Bermuda, Dominican Republic and in Curacao.

Jamaica are expected to have six wild cards in the boys and 18 and under singles qualifying rounds on Monday as only four places remain to be filled in the main draw of 32 players.

Today’s action will see boys and girls 14 and under singles matches being played in a round-robin format that should be divided in at least three or four groups.

Several Jamaicans will be in the 14-and-under boys singles, such as Jacob Bicknell, who won the Under-14 title at last week’s Pan Caribbean All-Jamaica Junior Tennis Championships, and 13-year-old Andrew Bicknell who won in the Boys 18 and 16 and under singles.

Other Jamaicans in the 14 and under boys singles are Matthias Cooman, James Cruise, Karl Martin, Alexander McNab and Luke Therrien.

In the girls 14-and-under singles, Jamaicans Lana Blackwood, Shaeda Nickle, Maya Ricketts and Rhea Thompson will be in action today.