The Vodafone Suva Open Tennis Championship provided a valuable learning experience for the Western teams, many of whom were first-time participants in the sport of tennis.
Head coach Lemeki Ledua Veimatayaki expressed his gratitude to Tennis Fiji for giving the opportunity to the community kids from the Lautoka tennis club.
Bringing in ten players ranging from Under-12 to Open grade, Veimatayaki was pleased to see the excitement and enjoyment on their faces as they experienced their first trip to Suva.
“I brought in ten players for the tournament from U12, U14, U16 and for open grade, for most of these kids, this is the first time that they’re travelling to Suva,” said Veimatayaki.
“As I can see, they are really enjoying themselves and they’re happy that they’re here in Suva.
“Most of them, this is their first time participating in the sport except for two, Pena and Uraia, they’ve been participating for the past seven years from U10. Now Pena is in the open grade now.
Despite facing some challenging weather conditions, the players were able to complete two matches on the first day of the tournament, with plans to continue the rest the following day.
Veimatayaki’s main goal was to allow the players to enjoy themselves and gain valuable experience in a competitive environment.
Suva coach and national representative Sumit Lal also acknowledged the growth of the tournament, with an increase in participants from the previous year.
Lal emphasized the importance of including junior grades in the tournament, recognizing the potential of the young players as future stars of the sport.
The competition is held at Victoria Tennis Court, in Suva and will conclude tomorrow.
