Jessica gets a big plus mark

12:53pm Wednesday 20th June 2001

YOUNG Beckenham tennis player Jessica Weeks showed her star quality in reaching the closing stages of one of Europe's most prestigious and unusual junior tournaments.

Thirteen-year-old Jessica was among 70 of the best 13 and under tennis players from across the UK and Europe, who competed in the finals of the British Tennis Coaches' Association (BTCA) Player Plus Championships, held over three days, in Nottingham.

The special format of the event, organised by the BTCA, allowed the players to be joined on court by their coaches for advice at changeovers. Apart from the Davis Cup, coaching during match is usually banned.

Jessica was accompanied by LTA national coach Paul Dent, who runs the LTA Regional trTraining Centre at Sutton.

Matches were played in a round robin format on the first two days with the semis and

finals completed on day three.

A pupil at Bromley High School, Jessica beat Kim Johnson, from Yorkshire, 6-2 6-0 and Natalie French, from Essex, 6-2 6-2 on day one, but went down to Graciela Valasco of Holland 1-6 3-6 and then eventual tournament winner Estelle Guisard, of France, 3-6 2-6.

Paul Dent felt the event was an invaluable experience. He said: “Being allowed to sit on the court gives you a better understanding of your players.

“It also accelerates their learning and skill development because you can give information and instruction in the heat of the game, which is where it matters.

“I can achieve results in five minutes with my players during the BTCA Player Plus Championships, which would take months to achieve on the practice court.”

Tournament director Alistair Higham, who developed the tournament idea 10 years ago, said: “The BTCA Player Plus Championships is an invaluable learning tool for coaches and players alike.

“By being on court and talking the youngsters through their matches in an international setting, the coaches can learn a lot about their players. Likewise, the players gain a great deal from having their coaches there with them, making it more fun.”

The BTCA represents 3,500 coaches nationwide with its main aim being to promote and service tennis coaching at all levels.

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