The 2008 Bermuda tennis schedule has begun with a bang with both junior and senior players in action.

The junior Cromwell Manders Memorial Tournament was held last week and the Elbow Beach Doubles Open starts today with doubles' events for men and ladies as well as mixed doubles.

Organisers of the Open say they are delighted to have some of Bermuda's top players in the draw.

"We are pleased to have the likes of Ashley Brookes, Kayla Cross and Caralita Joseph in the ladies' division along with Tara and Jackie Lambert", said president of the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) David Lambert.

"On the men's side we have a host of top-notch players such as Andy Bray, Jensen Bascome, and players coming back from overseas like Gavin Manders. So we will have a tournament which promises to be at a high level," he continued.

The draw for the tournament was made on Monday, and play starts this afternoon at 5.15 (see schedule, page 14).

Last week saw the first ranking tournament for juniors, named after a legend of Bermuda tennis, Cromwell Manders.

It proved a huge success, according to Lambert, with over 88 players taking part.

"Mr. Manders would have been pleased at the current level the current juniors play at", said Lambert. "The number of players continues to rise so it is great to see his hard work is not going to waste".

Winners of the event included Jamie Finnigan in the under-ten's, Chris Rego in the under-12 division, Kayla Cross in the under-18s and Neil Towlsen in the under-16s.