TEENAGER Jovan Whitter signalled his readiness to lay claim to a Bermuda Davis Cup place after he stormed to the boys' open singles title in the Elbow Beach Junior Tournament last week.

One place in the four-man team to travel to St. Vincent in April is up for grabs for a young player to claim next weekend.

Jenson Bascome, James Collieson and Ricky Mallory's places are safe, but with team captain Steve Bean looking to add some young blood, the fourth spot will go to the winner of a round-robin tournament to be contested by young hopefuls awaiting their chance to break into the senior national team. Davis Cup veterans Michael Way and Donald Evans will not be asked to play for the team this year.

Whitter will start among the favourites after a comprehensive 6-0, 6-4 victory over Romar Douglas, one of his principal rivals for a Bermuda team place, in last weekend's final.

Sixteen-year-old Whitter was happy and a little surprised by his own fine form.

"I played extremely well in the final and I was very surprised, because I've only been training for two weeks," said Whitter.

"I have to give credit to Romar. After I won the first set 6-0, he came back well and got his gameplan going and played much better.

"I'm very happy with my game, but it still needs some fine tuning. By the time the Davis Cup comes around, I should be ready."

Whitter was excited by the prospect of a chance to play for a Davis Cup spot, but he was expecting a hard-fought competition.

"I'm glad they want to put another rookie into the team now," said Whitter. "To be honest, I don't think any of us could beat Way or Evans right now, because they are both so experienced. But I think it's great that one of us will be able to get some Davis Cup experience.

"The idea of the trials is great. It gives you something to really work towards. It gives you inspiration for training, when you've got something as good as that to work for.

"I've been hitting with Ryan Swan a lot and I know he will be tough to beat. Jevon Roberts has been playing a bit and he will have a good chance. I had a tough practice match against Quinton Burgess some time ago and he's playing well. I had another tough practice match against Devanne Ratteray and he's playing well. So all the competition will be tough."

With the stakes so high, Whitter said nerves would play a part.

"It's really exciting to play for a Davis Cup place," he said. "To be able to represent your country is an honour.

"I get nervous time every time I play. I love that feeling. That's why I play tennis. If I don't have butterflies before I start, I know I'm not going to play well. "Nerves before the match help to get your adrenaline pumping and that helps you to go out and play your best tennis in the first few games.

"If you get nerves towards the end of the match, you get tight and then you start playing as if you're trying not to lose. If you play to win, you will often win, but if you play not to lose, you will lose."

Whitter has excelled in home tournaments and has also triumphed in junior events overseas on regular summer trips to New England. He is also a beneficiary of the Government's fund for elite athletes.

In recent months, he admitted that he had not been hitting as much as he would have liked, as his studies had taken precedence over tennis.

"I've not been training as much as I used to," he said. "Before I was training four or five days a week, now I'm struggling to find three days. I'm trying to buckle down with my school work. It's my last year at high school."

The other winners at Elbow Beach included Jasmine Quinn, who won the girls' under-14 singles title with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Amanda Burns in the final.

Young Kris Frick continued his habit of outshining older opponents to win the boys' under-14 division, getting the better of David Thomas 6-3, 7-6 in a hard-fought championship match.

Cayla Cross was the victor in the tournament's only three-set final, as she defeated Caitlin Gordon 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 to win the girls' under-12 title.

Miles Brewer was the under-12 boys champion, thanks to a 6-1, 6-4 victory against Kevin Caza.

In the under-10 age group, Gretchen Conyers beat Laura Burns 7-6 to win the girls' title, while Thomas Svenson beat Jack Riker 6-3 to win the boys' event.