In honor of San Fernando City Month, the San Fernando Tennis Club is set to organize a one-day Juniors and Open tournament at Skinner Park on November 29, starting at 9 am. This event aims to celebrate the city’s rich tennis heritage and showcase the talents of its standout players. Senior member Patrick Charles highlighted the club’s 62-year history, emphasizing its role in nurturing champions across various local formats. Among its notable alumni are Akiel Duke and Kino Francis, both of whom have represented Trinidad and Tobago at the Davis Cup (Americas) level. Akiel Duke, a 31-year-old left-handed player with a double-handed backhand, first competed in the Davis Cup as a junior in 2014 and made his most recent appearance in 2023. A former University of TT (UT) Patriots Tennis student-athlete, Duke is the 2019 Shell Tranquility men’s singles champion and holds a National Engineering Technician Diploma (NETD) in mechanical engineering. In 2020, he established Duke’s Tennis Academy, now based at Heritage Petroleum, Pointe-a-Pierre. Kino Francis, another product of the San Fernando Tennis Club, has been a member since he first picked up a racquet. Raised in Embacadere, San Fernando, Francis developed through the local tennis pathway and went on to represent Trinidad and Tobago. His passion for player development led him into coaching, where he has made significant contributions. Francis served as the Junior Davis Cup coach in 2023 and 2024, guiding TT to consecutive second-place finishes—the country’s best results in the tournament’s history. In 2025, he coached the boys U14 World Juniors team to a fourth-place finish. Francis also played a pivotal role as an assistant coach for the TT men’s Davis Cup team in 2024. Today, he continues to shape future champions through his tennis academy, Kourtside Konnection, dedicated to developing young talent and expanding opportunities for youth in the sport.
San Fernando Tennis Club celebrates City Month with one-day tournament
