Tennis Eden Island-sponsored ISS junior tournament- Holst, Barois, Laporte winners |09 April 2010

After a three-day clinic, the juniors fought it out in a two-day round-robin tournament, in which some hotly contested matches were played.

In the beginners’ section, many players took part in their very first tournament, yet performed surprisingly well. The winner of the gold medal without losing a match was Catarina Holst who narrowly beat six-year-old Charlie Washtell.
Another six-year-old, Bethany Sturt, gained enough points to finish third.

The intermediate division was extremely close with just four points separating the top-four finishers.

In the end, following in the footsteps of her older brother Loïc, Zoe Barois won the gold medal on the day.
A play-off match between Max Malin and Nela Popsilova was needed to decide the runner-up after they were tied on points. Max won the match to relegate Nela to third position.

Those new to tennis may have been surprised that the winner of the advanced category, which featured juniors up to 15 years, was seven-year-old Damien Laporte.

There seemed little doubt that Laporte would win as he piled through his matches undefeated against much bigger opponents.
 
The new tennis star beat second place getter Martin Anganuzzi 10-7 in the final. Damien must now set his sights on the seniors as he looks to stamp his name in the sport here.

All the matches were played in good spirit and the Seychelles Tennis Association looks forward to host another junior tournament in the near future.