Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association’s first adult ranking tournament of the year gets underway today with the opening matches in the Elbow Beach Open.

Running until March 4, the event offers the local governing body an opportunity to witness players ahead of the upcoming Junior Davis Cup, in which Bermuda will be represented in El Salvador later next month.

The BLTA will also be closely watching members of the Bermuda Fed Cup squad, who are scheduled to travel to Uruguay on April 16-22.

With the Island Games and Caribbean 14-and-under tournaments scheduled for later in the year, additional importance is being attached to events such as the Elbow Open.

As expected, Andy Bray, who completed a Grand Slam of titles last year, goes into the event as Men’s A top seed with Jacob Trott ranked second.

Ladies’ A top seed is Ashley Brooks with Leonie MacLoughlin the second seed. Paul York carries the top seeding among those playing in Men’s B, with Ben Lau ranked second and in the Ladies’ B number one seed is Catherine Cook with Louisa Freisenbruch the second seed.