Some of Bermuda's most talented young tennis players will battle for ranking points today, when the inaugural Appleby Junior Open tennis tournament starts at W.E.R. Joell Tennis Stadium.

In total 46 juniors will compete with Alexander Cooper, Matteo Frazzoni and Neal Towlson, who showed their class in the recent LITA Green Lantern Tournament, the favourites in the boys' older age group.

Cayla Cross, who won this year's Island Construction Open, and Carolita Joseph are expected to dominate the older age group for girls.

The boys' under-10s and under-12s will see top seeds Christopher Rego and Andrew Forgesson pushing for the title, while the girl's under-10 event will see Christina Joynes and Eva Frazzoni vying for top spot.

Vice-president for the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA), Allison Towlson, said she was pleased to see participation in the younger age groups growing.

"It's encouraging to see the numbers climbing in the younger age groups," she said. "We need more juniors getting out and playing competitive tennis so that we can grow them through the ranks to ultimately represent Bermuda in local competition and the international arena.

"Tennis is on the rise right now and the BLTA is in a good position to keep these juniors focused by providing various training programmes and opportunities for overseas representation.

"There are many more opportunities for juniors to travel and represent their country than in the past. The BLTA is making sure juniors are aware of these opportunities to ensure they are training and playing to their full potential."

In addition to the usual boys' and girls' singles events, the tournament also offers a mixed doubles contest in the under-18 and under-12 divisions. It will be played as a round robin event.

Play will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and continues throughout the weekend when matches will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Finals day will be on Sunday. Players will receive the schedule of play via e-mail notification but can also check with the BLTA office at 296-0834 or the Tennis Stadium office.