The Access Financial Services All Jamaica Junior Tennis Championships begins on Wednesday at the headquarters of Tennis Jamaica, the Eric Bell Tennis Centre at 2a Piccadilly Road.

The best young Jamaican tennis players will compete to determine who will be champions in boys’ and girls’ 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U singles and doubles next Sunday, the finals of the prestigious event.

Deveta McLaren, retail sales and marketing manager for Access Financial Services described it as “a pleasure to remain the title sponsor of the All Jamaica Junior Tennis Championships. Access has consistently supported Jamaican tennis. It is one of our contributions to national development. We believe the sport encourages discipline and leadership, which are important qualities for any young man or woman to possess”.

The Tournament Director David Sanguinetti has received a high number of early registrations for the event, and said that the “level of interest shown from high quality players, in Jamaica and abroad, has been extremely encouraging”, noting that a number of the 2015 champions will be competing this year.

Some of the defending champions from last year’s tournament are already down to compete including John Chin, Cliff Dwyer, Jenna Harrison, John Azar Jr, Daniel Azar and Emma Dibbs, who will compete in the boys’ and girls’ 18 and Under, 16 and Under, 14 and Under, 12 and Under and 10 and Under age groups. They will be hard-pressed by some young and very talented players which includes Alyssa James, Alexander Bicknell and Damani Cain.

John Bailey, president of Tennis Jamaica, said he “always looks forward to this particular event on the tennis calendar” and is “happy that Access Financial Services continues to be the title sponsor. Access has supported the development and promotion of tennis for some years now”.

Bailey hopes to “see as many people as possible coming out to support our young tennis players from across Jamaica. They have worked hard to be here, and we expect the level of competition to be unusually high this year”.

Entries are still open for the Access Financial Services All Jamaica Junior Tennis Championships, Jamaica’s largest junior tournament. Play will begin daily at 9:00 am.

Supporting sponsors include Hi -Lyte Sports Drink, Locker Room Sports, Green Energy Savings Ltd, Kevin Riley’s Tennis Ltd Therapedic Caribbean, Good Life, and Pure National Ice.