Home|Sports|BLTA planning for the road aheadSports
The Nassau GuardianSend an emailDecember 23, 2022 118 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
Now that the 2022 season is over, the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) could begin its preparation for what is expected to be a busy 2023.
Up first on its calendar of events for the new year is an under-14 and under-16 tournament in January. That event is set for January 7-10 at the BLTA’s National Tennis Centre.
Following the completion of the under-14 and under-16 tournament, the BLTA will facilitate the Bahama Pure Water & Ice Juniors National Tournament and the 1st Senior Love Doubles Smash Tournament on Grand Bahama and Abaco, respectively. The Bahama Pure Water & Ice Juniors tournament will be held from February 9-12, and the Senior Love Doubles Tournament is set for February 11.
In March, the Jr. Davis Cup and Jr. Billie Jean King Cup tournaments will be contested. That is set for March 6-11. A World Juniors Boys and Girls event is set for March 20-25, and the BLTA Spring Classic will be contested at the BLTA’s National Tennis Centre on New Providence from March 30 to April 2.
The BD Global Junior Classic for 12-and-under (12U), 14-and-under (14U) and 18-and-under (18U) players will be held on Abaco on April 8, and the Tim’s Refrigeration Doubles Tournament will be held on Eleuthera on April 22.
From May 3-6, the Bahamas High School National Championships are set for the BLTA’s National Tennis Centre on New Providence.
The junior nationals – 8-and-under (8U) to 18-and-under (18U) – is set for June 17-21; the Junkanoo Bowl ITF (International Tennis Federation) & COTECC (Confederation of Tennis of Central America and the Caribbean) Jr. Circuit (qualifying round) will be held from June 24-25 at the BLTA’s National Tennis Centre. The main draw of that tournament (14U and 18U) will be held from June 26 to July 1.
There will be a tennis segment at the Bahamas Games which is set for July 7-15 and an under-12 (U12) team competition is planned for July 17-22.
From August 5-7, the Abaco Junior Nationals (ranked tournament), featuring 12U, 14U and 18U players, will be held on Abaco.
From September 15-17, the Flawless Construction 14U and 16U (16-and-under) Junior National Tournament will be held on Grand Bahama.
In October, the senior nationals (35-and-older) will be held on New Providence. That event is set for October 6-9. The Sheri Roberts Memorial Open will be held on Abaco from October 21-22, and the FOCOL (Freeport Oil Company Limited) National Juniors Tournament is set for Grand Bahama from October 26-29.
The Goombay Splash ITF Jr. Circuit (qualifying round) for 18U players will be held at the BLTA’s National Tennis Centre from November 11-12, and the main draw for that tournament will be held from November 13-18.
The BLTA Awards Banquet is planned for December 16, and finally, to complete the 2023 schedule, the Giorgio Baldacci Open Tennis National Championships will get underway in mid December at the BLTA’s National Tennis Centre. The qualifying round is set for December 16 and the main draw will be held from December 18-21.
The dates for the events are subject to change.