Tennis ace makes triumphant return

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Tennis ace Panav Jha towers over coach Eduardo Torres

14-year-old Panav Jha made a victorious return to Grand Cayman on Friday 23 June fresh from winning the International Tennis Federation Group 14 tournament in Cuba. In securing the title he beat the number one players from Guatemala and Cuba. Panav has been playing tennis for five years and previous triumphs include the Cayman Islands Tennis Club (CITC) Open Championships where he beat all comers.

Inspiration for the sport comes from the achievements of his father, Gyanendra Jha, who is also an accomplished player.

Head Pro at CITC, Eduardo Torres, has been putting Panav through an intensive training programme including six kilometre road runs and sessions in the gym. Travelling coach, John Goldenberg, is responsible for fine-tuning his tennis skills for tournaments abroad.

Unfortunately, match practice on Grand Cayman is limited by a lack of suitable opponents.

Although Mr Torres is confident that Grand Cayman has an  untapped pool of talented
young tennis players, Panav will need to travel abroad to develop his game. Current plans are for him to join the professional tennis circuit, which is open to all competitors aged 14 or older. Another option being considered is a scholarship in the USA when he turns 16.

Even with one major event in the bag Panav has no time to rest on his laurels. On 24 June only a day after returning home he flew out to the Bahamas to compete in an 18 and under tournament. This will match his skills against older and more experienced players. Mr Torres feels that playing outside his age bracket will challenge Panav's abilities and mould him into a stronger player.

Back...