Bermuda's number one female tennis player Zarah DeSilva has been testing herself against a friend and world-class opponent over the Christmas holidays.

Kelly McCain, like DeSilva a student of Florida's Saddlebrook School, has spent a few days on the Island hitting with the Bermudian 16-year-old who dominated domestic women's tennis last year.

Not only is the 17-year-old McCain ranked number two in the US in the 18-and-under category, but she is also ranked 458th in the world in the WTA Tour rankings.

McCain has an impressive tennis pedigree and already has a Satellite Tour event victory to her name, following her triumph in Indiana last year.

And while at Saddlebrook, she has hit with the current world number one, Switzerland's Martina Hingis, as well as a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, Jelena Dokic of Australia.

Such privileges tend to come only to the most talented of young players and McCain has proved her abilities, having won national titles in the US at 16-and-under and 18-and-under level.

"I'm going to college next year and after that I would like to get into the pros,'' said McCain.

"I've played in the juniors at Wimbledon, the US Open and the French Open.

And the competition is so good, it makes you realise that you've got to keep training very hard.'' McCain and DeSilva have spent some of their time hitting at The Reefs and DeSilva modestly acknowledged that she had more to gain from the experience than did her friend.

"Kelly can really hit with some pace on the ball and so it's good for me to hit with her -- but bad for her, in a way,'' said DeSilva.

"When I can hit with someone who hits the ball so well, then I can learn a lot from it.'' DeSilva is not the only member of the Bermudian Federation Cup team to have benefited from practice with the American starlet, as McCain hit with all the squad members available at Pomander Gate this week, including sisters Sasha, Zoe and Kara Fisher, and Crystal and Tara Lambert.

And yesterday afternoon, McCain was due to work with DeSilva's coach and Bermuda Davis Cup captain Steve Bean at Port Royal.

McCain will be entering more Satellite Tour events when she returns to Florida and later in the year will move to Duke University in North Carolina.

DeSilva will be at Saddlebrook for another year and her sporting focus will be on Antigua in May, when she will represent a Bermuda team looking to build on the Island's best-ever Fed Cup performance last year in El Salvador.

"Right now, I'm just working towards training for Fed Cup,'' said DeSilva.

"And next year is my last year at Saddlebrook and then I will be working towards trying to get a scholarship to go to college.

"I'm not looking to turn pro -- that's not really what I want to do,'' she added.

"I'd just like to get a scholarship and see how well I get on in college.'' In 2000, DeSilva won the Heineken Open, Colonial Open and the Argus Open titles to rocket to the top of the domestic rankings.

Best of friends: Bermudian number one women's tennis player Zarah DeSilva (right) makes her school friend and world number 458 Kelly McCain feel at home.