Young Vincentian reaches final at regional tennis tournament

By S.Browne. Updated 1:25 p.m., Monday, May 18, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

Young Vincentian tennis player Ethan Kent delivered an impressive performance at the Junior Infantile Tennis International Championships (JITIC) 2026 in El Salvador, advancing to the final of the tournament’s Consolation Draw against some of the Caribbean and Central America’s top junior players.

The prestigious COTECC Under-14 tournament brought together 48 boys and 48 girls from across the Caribbean and Central America to compete at the Polideportivo Ciudad Merliot in Santa Tecla, El Salvador.

Ethan departed for El Salvador on 30 April. He was accompanied by Sebastian Cyrus, Vice-President of the SVG Tennis Association (SVGTA).

Competing in Group 5 during the singles round-robin phase, Kent recorded victories against Adrian Abreu Jozic of Puerto Rico and Rohan Ramcharitar of Trinidad and Tobago to finish with a 2-3 record.

He later advanced to the Grade Three Singles Draw before producing a strong run in the Consolation Draw, defeating Eli Paty of Trinidad and Tobago, Gabriele Parcells of Panama and Paulo Alvarez of Honduras to secure a place in the final.

Kent eventually finished runner-up after a closely contested encounter against Honduras’ Daniel Casco.

The Vincentian also competed in the Grade Three Doubles Draw alongside T’Zuriel Percival of St Kitts and Nevis. The pair progressed to the quarter-finals after defeating Jose Juan Betancourt of Puerto Rico and Liam Cave of Barbados in the opening round.

Overall, Kent ended the tournament with six victories and six defeats across singles and doubles competition.

In a statement following the tournament, SVGTA President Dr Preye Griffith praised the youngster’s effort and representation on the regional stage.

“The SVGTA is proud of Ethan Kent’s showing at JITIC, and thanks him for representing St Vincent and the Grenadines with purpose at the biggest stage of regional junior tennis,” Griffith stated.

The association said the experience gained competing against higher-ranked regional opponents would contribute positively to Kent’s continued growth and development in the sport.

“Ethan left the tournament with many fruitful experiences and lessons learned that the SVGTA is confident will translate into a renewed desire to improve, as he looks to continue challenging the best in the game,” the statement added.

Kent has steadily emerged as one of the country’s promising junior tennis players over the past several years. In 2021, he captured the Boys’ Under-10 title at the KFC Heroes Tennis Tournament hosted by the SVG Tennis Association.

He has continued to represent St Vincent and the Grenadines at regional competitions, including tournaments in Barbados earlier this year, as he progresses through the junior ranks.

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