RACCINE Malcolm of Forest Hill Prep, Matthew Josephs of Hopefield Prep and D’Mitri Moore of Hillel prevailed at the fourth Hi-Lyte/Russell Tennis Academy 10 & Under Singles tournament at Deep Dene, Hopefield Avenue last weekend.

In somewhat overcast conditions peppered by intermediate showers, Malcolm outpointed Aaron Smith of St Andrew Prep, 18-16, in the Advanced category.

Josephs clipped Alexander Bicknell of Hillel Academy, 20-19, in the Intermediate, and Moore got by Nicholas Sarjue also of Hillel, 16-12, in the Beginners section.

Prep and primary schools players from Kingston and St Andrew took part in the event, played in a round-robin format.

Cheers and tears highlighted the matches. In the end, the three winners and the three runners-up received awards.

Tournament director Richard Russell took note of the aggressiveness and standard of play shown by the kids.

“I’ve seen these kids play, but I saw a different side of them. They were very aggressive on the courts and serious about the matches. They played their hearts out and when you see some of them crying after they have lost, you can’t help but feel their pain,” Russell stated.

He stressed that the tournaments would be monthly “so as to constantly track the progress and growth of the kids”.

“I hope Tennis Jamaica will really throw their support behind tournaments like these and see what our future in tennis can really do,” he added.

Hi-Lyte provided energy fluids, Ocean Spray Wata, ensured the kids stayed hydrated, Nature Valley provided nutrition bars for the very energetic players, and Dominos Pizza gave lunches to the budding young stars.

Locker Room Sports, through Marketing Manager Onel Williams, presented winners and runners-up with gift certificates valued up to $3,000. KLAS FM89 was the media sponsor for the tournament.

The next tournament for Russell Tennis Academy is the first of Junior Tennis Series which begins this Saturday and Sunday. Tournaments begin 2:00 pm daily. The Junior Series is for boys and girls from 14 to 18 years old.