A GUYANESE team will embark this weekend to make their mark at an International Tennis Federation (ITF) competition in Trinidad & Tobago.

The team left last Friday and will be playing qualifying matches during this weekend to make it into the main draw, which will be played between August 17 and 22 at Shaw Park Tennis Facility, Tobago.
Coach Shelly Daly Ramdyhan has great expectations for the team especially the Under-14s. She noted that the Under-18s will be tougher since they need to win at least three matches to gain entry into the main draws but she is still demanding all players to play to their best.
The nine-member team representing Guyana comprises: Boys U-14: Jordan Beaton, Hemraj Resaul, Keenan Persaud, Mark McDonald and newcomer Ariel Khan. Boys U-18: Daniel Lopes. Girls U-14: Kalyca Fraser. Girls U-18: Nicola Ramdyhan and Aretta Dey.
Higher expectations are placed on the U-14s especially Kenan Persaud and Hemraj Resaul who had a good run at the last ITF competition, as they were able to book a spot in the final.
Mark McDonald is also one to keep an eye on; as he is riding the confidence of being 2015 GBTI Boys U-18 winner. Ariel Khan makes his ITF debut and he did admit that he is a little nervous but excited to compete.
Lopes who is the U-18 Boys #1 will play his first U-18 ITF match. He said the level will be tougher but has prepared mentally and tactically. “The matches are more mental, tactical and physical because everyone hits the ball harder, runs faster so I have to be more prepared.”
His mixed doubles partner, Aretta Dey, will showcase her skills after a two-year hiatus from the ITF circuit. “I worked on my serves and ground strokes. The recovery is slow but winning the GBTI mixed doubles has given me more confidence.”
Resaul noted that there are good players but he is training to better his results. “I tried to get more court time and push in 6 hours of training everyday.”. He aims to take the title of U-14.
Coach Shelly said, “The readiness is there because of the GBTI tournament and P&P camps which would give them a competitive boost and a higher competitive level. They had intense training right down to the end.”.
She did point out the main limitation of preparing for international tournaments which is the lack of excellent playing surface. Despite not getting on better surfaces earlier, she is grateful to GBTI and Harry Panday for allowing the team to conduct practice matches at their facilities.