By Carlena Knight
President of the Antigua and Barbuda Tennis Association (ABTA) Cordell Williams Snr has spoken highly of the local tennis program after the latest COTECC Rankings revealed two female Antiguan players featured in the top 10.
Sibley Charles who ranked 5th and Brasha Dyer in 7th position were the two players on the list.
Both players are presently competing in the Wadadli Bowl here in Antigua.
Williams, in an exclusive interview with OBSERVER media, commended both players and the local coaching structure.
“Well, personally for me, it just shows that the coaching structure that is here and what I am doing is really up to par and Cordell as a coach has continued to produce top 10 players in Central America and the Caribbean.
“I am happy for Brasha because Brasha’s tennis has developed here. She hasn’t gone to any other academy, so it just shows that the program that we have here is just as strong as in the region and all that is required is more assistance in getting them to further develop their game,” Williams said.
The former player revealed that Charles, due to this new ranking, has been selected to compete at the Master COTECC Under-14 in Guatemala from September 6-13.
However, he noted that the association is having some difficulty with her attending the tournament.
“Sibley has been selected to go to the Masters where the top eight play. Brasha is injured right now but she hasn’t been selected. Sibley is supposed to leave next week for the Masters. The challenge that I am having right now is that we have to have a qualified coach to go with her and so now we are trying to find a coach to travel with her.”
Williams also commended other local players like Samaar Davis who was crowned the Wadadli Bowl Girls singles champion on Wednesday.
“Other than that, you know we are just happy for both players and the others because yesterday Samaar Davis, our last under-14, she managed to win it. So it just shows that we continue to develop our junior players,” Williams said.