SOME of the country’s top players were in action as the 2015 Hi-Pro All-Jamaica Senior Tennis Championships got underway yesterday at the Eric Bell Tennis Centre.

Seeded players will also have the opportunity to showcase their prowess on the newly refurbished courts in the one-week tournament which will run through to Saturday.

This year the championships promise some exciting and thrilling match-ups from Jamaica’s leading players in both the men’s and women’s sections.

The defending champion of the men’s singles is Damion Johnson, while last year’s women’s singles winner Phadria Kepple will not be defending her title this year.

Action in the men’s singles will see players hunting the first prize of $100,000, $50,000 for the runner-up, and $25,000 each to the losing semi-finalists, while players reaching the quarter-finals will receive $15,000 each. Additionally, the men’s doubles winners will pick up $10,000 each, while the women’s winner will collect $40,000 and the runner-up $20,000.

The men’s singles main draw field is a very strong one with defending champion Johnson the top seed, followed by Rowland Phillips and last year’s beaten finalist Daniel Harris. Other seeded players in the men’s singles are Marcus Malcolm, Yussuf Migoko, Orick Angus, Matthew Rodriquez, and Jevaughn Mullings.

There are only four seeds in the women’s singles, with Selena Blythe holding the top slot, ahead of Ffion Fletcher, Jenna Harrison and upcoming sensation Mikalia Stephens.

The players to watch in the men’s singles are Johnson, Phillips, Harris and the hard-hitting Malcolm from Montego Bay who is expected to spring a surprise should there be any. However, they will find the experienced, hard-hitting and fast-serving Johnson a very tough nut to crack.

The 21-year-old Phillips has been playing extremely well in his singles matches as was seen when he represented Jamaica at the Davis Cup, where he lost only one of his games, and is always expected to figure prominently.

Meanwhile, Harris, 19, also represented Jamaica at the Davis Cup, and he will be aiming to exhibit his worth as a young, talented and well-rated player.

The women’s section should be a wide open affair, with Blythe, who was the runner-up to Kepple in last year’s final, being given the nod to turn the tables this time around. However, she will have to get by Fletcher, a former winner of this tournament, as well as the young players that will be hoping to leave their mark on the tournament.

— Gerald Reid