JN Bank Open Tennis Championships serves off today
DEFENDING champions Rowland Phillips and Pauline Hilton will attempt to defend their men’s and women’s singles titles as the 2019 JN Bank Open Tennis Championships get under way today at Liguanea Club, at 9:00 am.
Players will compete in the men’s and women’s open singles, men’s Class Two and Three singles, Ladies ‘B’ singles, and men’s and women’s doubles.
Phillips is the top seed, followed by Blaise Bicknell at two. Bicknell ended his junior stint in October and has being playing on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Futures circuit.
He is currently attending the University of Florida and is also the number two singles player on the team.
The other local professionals who are expected to contest the men’s singles, and who are among the top 10 seeds, are Marcus Malcolm (fourth), Dimitri Bird (fifth), David Goldsmtih (sixth), Yussuf Mikogo (seventh), and Dwayne Pagon is the eighth seed.
Meanwhile, the women’s top players are expected to be Hilton, Jenna Harrison, and Michaela Stephens.
The winner of the men’s open singles will collect the first-prize cash award of $200,000 and the championship trophy, with the runner-up getting $100,000.
Cash prizes totalling $50,000 each will be presented to the two losing semi-finalists, $25,000 each will be given to quarter-finalists, and players reaching the round of 16 will collect $17,000 each.
The women’s open singles winner will collect $70,000 and the championship trophy, with the runner-up receiving $35,000, while the two losing semi-finalists will get $17,500 each.
First-round matches in the men’s singles today are as follows: Barry Hazel vs Ashford Knight at 9:00 am; Leighton Burton vs Nicholas Chung, and Joshua Graveney vs Roshane Allen at 10:00 am.
Matches in the first round of the Men’s Class Two and Three singles will also be played today.