BY ROMULUS HUTA
SOLOMON Islands Tennis Association (SITA) is setting its sight on this year’s West Pacific Regional Qualifiers.
General Secretary of Solomon Islands Tennis Association (SITA) Shalom Akao-Waita said last year Solomon Islands were represented by a total of 14 players.
The team comprised 11 home-based players who joined the three others who are based at the Lautoka-based Oceania Tennis Regional Tennis Training Center in Fiji.
The West Pacific Regional Qualifiers is a competition sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and organized by the Oceania Tennis Federation (OTF).
The Qualifiers will be held from April 30 to May 5 at the Oceania Regional Tennis Center at Lautoka and will be attended by young competitors from Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Norfolk Islands and host nation Fiji.
The competition features round robin play to determine entry into the main draw and play-offs for places in each of the under 12, 14 and 16 age categories.
Top players emerging from the qualifiers will be chosen to represent the West Pacific team, who will compete at the Pacific Oceania Junior Championships (POJC), which will be held from July 23 to August 1 in Fiji, against teams from the East and North Pacific regions.
The POJC is the region’s flagship elite junior tennis event.
Mrs Akao-Waita said they might increase their number of participants this year.
“But it’s too early to confirm.
“Our programs will resume in February 24 and it’s too early to confirm this.”
However, Mrs Akao-Waita said they plan to organize a competition next month.
The competition will be used as a selection pathway for the West Pacific Regional Qualifiers.
