A young eight-player tennis delegation from St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) recently made history on the regional sports stage, competing in the annual COTECC Sub Region-4 Under-12 Team Championship hosted in neighboring Trinidad and Tobago.
For this year’s tournament, SVG entered both male and female national squads, with three emerging junior athletes and one player-coach captain assigned to each team. The boys’ roster featured rising talents Zion Byfield-Grant, Keyondré Gaymes, and Nathaniel Sheen, led by coach-captain Sebastian Cyrus. On the girls’ side, juniors Amaia Waterstone, Nakayda Cain, and Amina Lucas competed under the guidance of coach-captain Roxann Williams.
The annual COTECC Sub Region-4 competition brings together young tennis prospects from across the Lesser Antilles, with all 19 member nations eligible to field teams. In 2024, the boys’ draw attracted 10 teams from nine competing jurisdictions: Aruba, Barbados, Curaçao, Grenada, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, SVG, Suriname, and host nation Trinidad and Tobago. The girls’ draw saw eight teams from seven participating countries, as Barbados and Curaçao opted not to enter a female squad this year.
After several days of intense on-court competition, SVG’s junior squads posted solid debut results. The boys’ team secured 8th place overall, finishing with a total record of two tie wins and three tie losses, broken down into four wins and six losses in singles matches and one win against three losses in doubles play. The girls’ team claimed 7th place in their draw, closing out the tournament with one tie win and four tie losses, earning four singles wins and going winless in four doubles matches.
Notably, the 2024 outing marked a string of firsts for every SVG player selected. All competitors were making their debut representing a senior national team, and for some young athletes, the trip marked their first time traveling outside of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
In an official press statement following the tournament, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tennis Association (SVGTA) expressed pride in the young delegation regardless of the final rankings. “Despite the results, the SVGTA is proud of our juniors’ showing at this tournament, and thanks them for representing St Vincent & the Grenadines,” the statement read.
The association emphasized that high-impact developmental opportunities such as this regional competition are invaluable for young athletes’ growth, both in terms of their on-court skill and off-court personal development. “Opportunities like this are crucial for player development both on and off the court. The many fruitful experiences had, and lessons learned will continue to add to their foundation, and the SVGTA is confident in each player’s commitment to improving,” the statement added.