The annual Argus Open tennis tournament will swing into action at the WER Joell Tennis Stadium next week allowing the Island's top players to prepare for the upcoming CAC Games in Puerto Rico.

As the CAC Games will partially overlap with the Open, a series of preparation matches will form part of the schedule of play.

Two of the Island's top junior players, Tyler Smith and Chris Rego, will be invited to compete with the national players in these matches.

As part of this year's Argus Open – sanctioned by the Bermuda Lawn and Tennis Association (BLTA) – for the first time free tennis lessons will be offered to children under the age of 10 by local coaches.

The free tuition will be available on Saturday, July 17, from 10 a.m. until 12 noon.

Parents should email the name and date of birth of their child to tournaments@blta.bm. Places are limited.

Gerald Simons, president and chief executive officer of The Argus Group, said: "We are proud to once again be supporting the Argus Open, which is open to all.

"Tennis provides an opportunity to exercise and have fun at the same time. We are particularly excited this year to offer our national players the opportunity to play in front of local crowds before they leave to represent Bermuda in the CAC Games in Puerto Rico."

Matches are played from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekday evenings and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the weekend. The tournament runs from Thursday, July 15 until Saturday, July 24.

Entry forms are available from The Argus Building on Wesley Street, Hamilton or the Argus website at www.argus.bm. They can also be found at the WER Joell Tennis Stadium and tennis clubs Island-wide.

For further information about the tournament call 296-0834 or via email to tournaments@blta.bm

Bermuda's CAC Games tennis team: Caitlin Gordon, Jacklyn Lambert, Tara Lambert, Naim Azhar, Gavin Manders, David Thomas, Neil Towlson