Bermuda's top young female tennis player, Tyler Smith, has just completed a whirlwind tour of South America before returning to her tennis academy in Florida.

Smith, 13, who is the best player in her age group in the Caribbean, played against the top players in South America in tournaments in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia before returning for a short break back home this week.

David Lambert, head of the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association, said the International Tennis Federation had picked Smith to take part in training camps and tournaments as part of the ITF Central American and Caribbean Junior Team of 2010.

"The ITF picked up 80 percent of the cost and the BLTA picked up the remaining 20 percent," said Lambert adding, "playing in tournaments all over South America can only make Tyler a better player."

The ITF pay for youngsters out of their Grand Slam Development Fund which is money raised during the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Yesterday Smith said: "The trip was great ¿ really nice."

Smith won numerous international tournaments last year including those in Barbados and Panama and she also won Bermuda's own ITF Bank of Bermuda Foundation Tournament last summer.

She said: "I left Bermuda on January 17 and first went to Colombia and played in a tournament and I made it to the quarter-finals."

Then it was on to Ecuador for another tournament where she lost in the first round.

"But I stayed for the whole week in Ecuador.

"I travelled with a group of other kids and most of us played in these tournaments.

"The other players were mainly from South America and most spoke English but some only spoke Spanish," said Smith.

From Ecuador, Smith and the other players travelled to Lima, Peru where the Bermudian made it to the semi-finals of that tournament.

And from Peru it was on to Bolivia where she lost in the first round.

Besides playing in the tournaments, Smith and the other young players also received instruction.

Now it is back to the Adams/Flynn Tennis Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"I leave on Sunday and I will be mostly training in Florida," said Smith.

Smith has been at the academy for two years now.

Lambert has said of the young star: "Tyler is definitely one of the best prospects we have ever had in Bermuda.

"She has such a professional outlook."

When she was only 10 years old Smith persuaded her family to let her leave Bermuda to –attend the academy ¿ something which did make her mother Alison nervous at the time.

Her mother said a while ago: "She knew what she wanted to do with her life early on.

"I was the one who was worried about her going away at such a young age but Tyler knew what she wanted.

"Tyler always said she wanted to become a professional player and she is working hard towards that.

"She has been out on the courts since she was two years old when I was out practicing.

"Now she comes home for a few weeks and then it is off the Island again playing."

Last year Smith joined up with two other young Bermuda prospects, Chris Rego and Clementine Keyes, to help the Island win the Caribbean –13 and Under Championships in Trinidad & Tobago for the first time.

And last summer the International Tennis Federation picked Smith to attend a regional training camp in Cuba.