THE PEBBLE SUMMER SLAM is scheduled to bring the best and the brightest to Caesarean Tennis Club this weekend.
A star-studded line-up of players – both local and international – will take to the courts from tomorrow to compete in the newly established LTA Grade 3 Open tournament hosted by Caesareans Tennis Club.
“Jersey Tennis has been on the rise for a while now,” said Director and Vice Chair of Jersey Tennis and Padel, Sonia Smith.
“We have one of the strongest teams we have had for a while now, particularly on the men’s side. We thought it was about time we hosted a top-quality tournament. We wanted to give both home-grown and international players the opportunity to compete and make it as high quality as possible.”
Sponsored by Pebble Home and Lifestyle, the tournament is scheduled to start Friday evening and run through to Sunday evening.
Clare Clarke (left) from Pebble has also put forward a £2,500 prize pot to be split between the Open and the Under 18 winners.
Under-18 Boys’ and Girls’ singles, men’s and ladies’ senior singles, doubles, and mixed doubles events will feature, with a host of stars named – including Jersey’s own former ATP professional, Scott Clayton.
The 32-year-old, now retired from the professional game, reached the second round at Wimbledon in both 2017 and 2018 in the men’s doubles, achieving a career-high world ranking of 107 in 2018.
Clayton – one of the founders of Island Padel – expressed, in jovial tones, his excitement at returning to the tennis court.
“It’s been a while, I won’t lie,” he joked. “I’ve had a couple of hits and the body is feeling a touch rusty, but I’m excited to help out a club that is very special to me.
“Sonia [Smith] asked me to help out after her partner dropped out, but I thought if I was going to be taking part in the mixed doubles anyway, I may as well get involved in the doubles too.”
Clayton will play in the men’s doubles event alongside best friend and lifelong training partner George Dupays – something Clayton admits will be special for the pair.
“George and I grew up playing together on those Caesarean courts. He’s my best mate, and it’ll be great to get to share the court with him again.
“As well as playing with George, I also have a young son who’s never seen me play. I don’t know how many more times he might have the chance to watch me, so that will be a really special moment for my family.”
With the bigger picture in mind, Clayton concluded: “The tournament is not about me, though. It’s about Jersey Tennis doing a massive job to try and put the sport back on the map.
“Sonia and Clare [Clarke, from Pebble] have done an amazing job in putting it together. It’s going to be a great weekend, and it’s a pleasure to get to take part.”
Among the men’s draw, Sarnian star Rob West is the number 1 seed in the 20-strong singles event.
“It’s really exciting to have such big names,” continued Smith. “Having Scott return to take part is a massive bonus for us. He’s really excited, and I think he saw the scale of the event and wanted to be a part of it.
“It’s beautiful to watch him play; it’s like watching a dancer,” she mused, before adding: “His support is amazing for us, and we’re sure he’ll bring in some good crowds too. With Rob [West] as well, we have a really strong men’s singles draw, alongside several international players coming from the UK.
“We are also incredibly fortunate to have internationally renowned Franck Matthews officiating the event.”
In the ladies’ bracket, Jersey star Natasha Forrest (left) returns from America, where she has been playing and studying at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee, alongside fellow Islander Louis Keenan – who also returns to compete this weekend.
Emily Frost (right) also returns to compete from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
Forrest will be competing alongside mixed doubles partner Marnix Van Dalen, originally from the Netherlands, whom she met at university.
Showing the standard of the weekend, Van Dalen and Keenan together are not even seeded in the men’s doubles event.
Action is scheduled to start Friday from 6pm with the men’s singles qualifying. The men’s, ladies’, and mixed doubles events will also take place Friday, not before 7.30pm.
Sonia Smith and Clare Clarke will compete together in the ladies’ doubles as the number three seeds.
Action will continue throughout Saturday from midday to 9pm, before Sunday hosts the finals from 10am to 4pm.
After the finals, the trophies will be presented in the clubhouse, along with live DJs and a barbecue open to the public.
“We want to get as many people as possible down enjoying the festivities,” continued Smith. “We want to build this tournament into a regular feature in the tennis calendar, and if this weekend goes as we think it will, then it can only continue to get bigger.
“We sent invitations to every tennis club in the UK within an hour’s radius of an airport, and lots expressed their interest.
“Jersey is a popular holiday destination, particularly for families. We want to expand the competition into further junior categories next year and beyond to bring more people to the island and the club.
“While this tournament is only three days long, we have plans to expand it to a week-long event in the future.
“From our perspective, we would like to extend our thanks firstly to Clare Clarke from Pebble. Her support and personal investment have made all this possible.
“We would also like to thank Scott [Clayton] and Morgan [Jubb] from Island Padel, and last but not least the amazing Adam Bayley [Caesareans Tennis Club coach], whose support has been invaluable to me.”
With a twinkle in her eye, Smith concluded: “I bet Wimbledon wasn’t that big when it started, let’s see how big we can make this.”
To keep up to date with the order of play, results, and the draw, you can follow the JTAP social media channels.
