St Lucian tennis academy lands four titles in St Vincent tournament

A junior squad from Saint Lucia has come home from a regional tennis tournament with an impressive haul of silverware. Sixteen players from the Acers Tennis Academy collected four titles and three second-place finishes at the Fuzion Takeover SVG event, staged over three days at the St Vincent and the Grenadines National Tennis Centre in Arnos Vale.

As reported by St. Lucia Times, the Saint Lucian group was among 42 young athletes from at least four Caribbean territories who competed at the tournament. The result underlines the growing reputation of the Beausjour-based academy, which trains at the Saint Lucia National Tennis Centre in Gros Islet.

Denney Estava led the way, taking the boys 16 singles crown before joining forces with Kyle Michel-Francois to win the boys 16 doubles as well. Merkisha Justin matched the double in her age group, claiming the girls 14 singles title and then the girls 16 doubles alongside Samuella Bertrand.

Three more Saint Lucians reached finals without lifting the trophy. Kymani St Rose came through in the boys under-eight red ball category, Ronaldinha St Juste progressed furthest among the girls in the orange ball draw, and Vernon Justin finished runner-up in the boys 12 singles.

The depth of the squad showed in the way the brackets played out. Estava faced his own teammate Michel-Francois in the 16s semifinals, Justin met Bertrand in the 14s last four, and Vernon Justin played Kimari Felix in an all-Saint Lucian 12s semifinal. The island also placed three different pairings into the semifinals of the boys 16 doubles.

Coach Scyla Murray led the travelling team, working with assistants Soochan Lewis, Skitter Emile, Perlina Morille and Phillisia Joseph. Joseph took on a second role at the event, sitting on the officials' panel as an assistant umpire.

Murray credited sponsorship and the commitment of parents for making the trip possible, and said she hopes to send an even larger squad to the same competition in 2027. For a small island with a modest tennis infrastructure, the return from Arnos Vale represents a notable statement of intent.

The result also feeds into a wider picture of sport in Saint Lucia, where junior programmes across several disciplines have been pushing for regional recognition. Tennis sits alongside football and athletics in the island's development plans, and success abroad helps academies attract new players and keep funding flowing. Young visitors booking holidays to St Lucia may even find courts open to them, as the National Tennis Centre at Beausjour welcomes visiting players when it is not in use for training.

Families combining a tournament trip with a break in the sun will find plenty beyond the baseline. Family holidays in St Lucia often centre on the calm western coast, where sheltered bays make swimming easy for children, and the range of things to do in St Lucia extends from rainforest trails to sailing trips along the Soufrière coast beneath the Pitons.

Accommodation on the island spans every style and budget, from simple guesthouses to some of the most photographed luxury hotels in St Lucia. Among the hotels in St Lucia, the all-inclusive resorts in St Lucia's north are popular with families, while boutique hotels in St Lucia and self-catering villas in St Lucia suit couples and longer stays.

For those watching the junior calendar, the dry season from December to April is generally reckoned the best time to visit St Lucia for sport and events alike, and it is a straightforward journey, with direct flights to St Lucia from the UK touching down at Hewanorra in the south of the island.

Murray and her squad now return to regular training at Beausjour, with the 2027 edition of the Fuzion Takeover tournament the next target on the regional circuit. Any visitor keen to see the next generation at work can keep an eye on sessions at the National Tennis Centre while exploring the island.