Top tennis juniors set for this weekend’s Palmetto Championships

Hilton Head Island’s Grant Durham is among the No. 1 seeds for this weekend’s 60th edition of the Palmetto Championships in Belton and Anderson, which serves as a national qualifying event for South Carolina juniors.

Durham, a Smith Stearns Academy student, is the top seed in the Boys 14s after winning the Southern 1A Championships earlier this month.

Hilton Head Island’s Anna Letto is seeded No. 2 in the Girls 16s, while two other area players hold No. 4 seeds — Hilton Head Island’s Sayda Hernandez (Girls 14s) and Bluffton’s Robert Hagen (Boys 12s). In all, more than three dozen Lowcountry juniors will compete this weekend.

Competition will be held in five age divisions, with a record 440 players entered this year. Most singles play begins Saturday, running through to Tuesday’s finals.

“We have most of the state’s best players,” tournament director Rex Maynard said, “and we’re expecting some great matches throughout the tournament. The Palmetto is the biggest and strongest junior tournament in the state, and this year is no exception.”

The Palmetto Championships were established in 1957 and it is one of the nation’s longest-running tournaments to remain at its original site.

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Top tennis juniors set for this weekend’s Palmetto Championships."