The Samoa junior tennis squad is gearing up for the East Pacific Regional Championship this week which will be hosted in the country giving the young players the much-needed home advantage.

More than 20 players will be donning the national colours when the tournament starts on Monday.

The youngsters are eager to show the rest of the Pacific what they can do. Samoa has always been a powerhouse in tennis and the administration feels that they are ready for this one too.

Samoa will be up against players from Tonga, American Samoa, Tahiti and Cook Island. The EPRC tournament officially kicks off on Monday 3 February and finishes on Saturday 8 February. 

Samoa's tennis players were on the court on Saturday, fine-tuning their final preparation. The hot sun did not hinder the young athletes.

The players are under the guidance of coach Steffi Carruthers-Fuataga. 

The Samoa Tennis Association is also hoping that the home crowd comes to watch the matches and cheer the young players on.

Meanwhile, the Cook Islands team has issued a challenge. The team arrived on Saturday and believe they can create upsets.

A determined squad of 13 players from Tennis Cook Islands are already in the country to compete in the highly anticipated East Pacific Regional Championships (EPRC).

Cook Islands national head coach Malcolm Kajer is optimistic about the team’s prospects, citing last year’s impressive results as a strong foundation for success.

“Last year, we had fantastic results at the EPRC, with five of our players earning spots in the Pacific Oceania Junior Championships (POJC),” Kajer said.

“This year, we’re aiming to build on that momentum and qualify more players for the POJC to be held in Fiji this April.”