Jimmy Arias playing hard and hitting hard at the Ritz, Outback Series.

The Residences at the Ritz Carlton hosted Caymans first ever involvement with the Outback Championship Series. I imagine this to be a smaller leg of the whole tour, however it is quite a big event for Grand Cayman. A huge mixture of people showed up for all the days of the event, and the players put on some great shows of not just great Tennis but also showmanship.

The event is a Sand / Clay tennis event, which I personally always enjoy to watch. There was plenty of stadium seats, however it did get a little crowded towards the final match. Jim Courier, United States, defeated Wayne Ferreira, South Africa, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (1). It was a great match preceeded by Jimmy Arias, United States, claiming third by defeating Paul Haarhuis, Netherlands, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 10-8 tiebreak.

The VIP tent was fully stocked with some amazing buffet food and local Beer Caybrew and Champagne from Veuve Clicquot along with other assorted wines and soft drinks. Outside in the main area there was plenty of souvenir shops with Championship Series merchandise, Ritz Carlton tennis gear to super sized tennis balls and some food and drink vendors.

The event is well worth checking out even if just for one day, but if you choose to go in the future my advice is take a big hat for shade and lots of sunscreen as the seating provided no shading whatsoever and it was perfect Caribbean weather !