South West Open ready to serve off

The third annual South West Open Tennis tournament is set to serve off on July 20 with a mix of local and overseas talent confirmed for the week-long event.

Tournament Director Justin Atkins revealed that 25 players have registered for the competition, including seven overseas-based entrants.

With registration now closed, Atkins said the organising team is focused on delivering a quality event, despite falling short of the initial target of 40 participants. 

“We actually have some good collegiate players that’ll be coming down to play. Another top player is Chad Valdes, from Panama who plays in the Davis Cup.

“Then we also have some national players from Barbados that’ll be playing, such as Zach King, Ammon Archer, as well as US based players Lucas and Tyler Davis,” said Atkins.

He added, “We have at least 100 of our Southwest Open shirts and other merchandise ready and we also have a number of feather banners to be put up for the tournament, as well as the food and drinks that will be on sale.”

While satisfied with the tournament’s growth heading into its third year, Atkins said securing adequate sponsorship remains the biggest challenge facing the event.

“This is because we would want a greater amount of sponsorship so we can support the youth and the development of children in Barbados. To this end, we are still open to any additional offers from corporate Barbados,” he said.

(KH)