THE OPENING ceremony of the finals of a junior tennis event which has launched the careers of some of the world's greatest players was held in Sunderland today (Friday, February 13).

Europe's finest young female tennis players (under 12s) are competing in the continental finals of their category in the 2015 Tennis Winter Cups by Head, being held at the Sunderland Tennis Centre from today (February 13) to Sunday.

Sponsored by the international sports equipment manufacturer Head, the teams taking part are; Great Britain, Ukraine, Italy, France, Czech Rep, Hungary, Russia, Belarus.

Representatives from the tennis association of each country joined their players and coaching staff for the opening ceremony at Sunderland's Tennis Centre.

Each team was led out into the main sports hall by pupils from Ryhope Junior School to be welcomed by their national anthems, with the flag of each country displayed proudly throughout the tournament.

They received a civic welcome from Mayor of Sunderland, Cllr Stuart Porthouse, who was joined by the Deputy Mayor, Cllr Barry Curran, ward councillors and community partners.

The Mayor of Sunderland, Cllr Stuart Porthouse said: “Make no mistake, this is one of the most important and prestigious tournaments in international tennis and I am proud and delighted as Mayor to welcome it to our city.

“This event has produced some of the world’s greatest players over the years, and I’m sure that we’ll see some future superstars competing at Sunderland Tennis Centre during the Tennis Winter Cup 2015.”

The three days of top-class international junior girl’s tennis will culminate with the final on Sunday (15 Feb) afternoon, with the winners crowned European champions before the closing ceremony at 2pm.