Mayberry Investments Limited (MIL) brought the curtain down on the 2026 staging of the Mayberry Investments Caribbean Open Junior Tennis Championships on Friday with a day of finals at The Liguanea Club, New Kingston. The five-day championship, held from July 6-10 and sanctioned by Tennis Jamaica, once again affirmed its place as one of the region’s most keenly watched junior tennis events, drawing competitors from Jamaica, Grenada, and St Vincent and the Grenadines to contest eight age-group divisions. A FIXTURE ON THE REGIONAL TENNIS CALENDARSince its inception in 2011, the championship has grown from a single Jamaican event into a recognised regional fixture, and this year’s staging reinforced that standing. The tournament’s registration on the Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) platform means that every competitor leaves with an internationally recognised rating, a detail that carries real weight for young Caribbean athletes pursuing scholarship and recruitment opportunities with universities and college programmes overseas. That international dimension was evident throughout the week, with the travelling contingents from Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines matching their Jamaican counterparts shot for shot — Akquin Johnson’s run to the Boys’ 16 & Under final on behalf of St Vincent and the Grenadines a case in point of the calibre the championship now attracts from across the region. KEENLY FOUGHT FINALS ACROSS EIGHT DIVISIONS The standard of play across the week underlined why the championship continues to command attention regionally. Finals were decided on the finest of margins — the Girls’ 18 & Under title went to a third-set tiebreak, and the Boys’ 18 & Under final ended in retirement after a hard-fought contest. Among the week’s most gruelling encounters was the Boys’ 18 & Under final, where Nasri Robinson dug deep to claim the premiere division crown. After dropping a tight opening set 4–6 to Dylan Marks, Robinson mounted a spectacular comeback, fighting his way through a tense second set to win it 7–5. Robinson had firmly established momentum and was leading 4–0 in the deciding set when Marks was, unfortunately, forced to retire due to injury, sealing the hard-fought championship for Robinson.Chase Morin claimed both the Boys’ 12 & Under and 14 & Under titles without dropping a match, and Xenya Miller Brown completed a similar double in the Girls’ 16 & Under and 18 & Under divisions. Ajani Robinson took the Boys’ 16 & Under crown, Isabelle Bailey the Girls’ 14 & Under, and Tsehai Falconer the Girls’ 12 & Under, rounding out a week that showcased strength in depth across every age group rather than in any single draw. INVESTING IN YOUTH, BUILDING THE NATION Desiree Wheeler, marketing manager at Mayberry Investments Limited, reflected on the championship’s place within the company’s wider commitment to youth and sport. “Since 2011, our support for this championship has been about far more than a single week of tennis. It is an investment in the discipline, character, and opportunity that sport builds in our young people, and that is, ultimately, an investment in nation building. Every year, we see that investment reflected in the standard of competition and in the doors this tournament continues to open for our young athletes, regionally and internationally.” CELEBRATING THE REGIONAL SPIRIT OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP Following Friday’s finals, Mayberry hosted a poolside cocktail reception at The Liguanea Club for competitors, coaches, and parents, held in special recognition of the travelling Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines contingents. The evening served as a fitting close to the week, extending the championship’s spirit of regional camaraderie beyond the courts and thanking the visiting teams for the standard of competition and sportsmanship they brought to Jamaica.