A TENNIS coach who moved to Canada to start a new coaching company has won a cup dedicated to his friend who died three years ago.

Curtis Austin, 24, was head coach at Kirby Tennis Club between 2014 and 2018 before relocating to Vancouver, Canada to launch CJ Tennis Coaching

During his time in Kirby, he met club member Jay Watcham and they became good friends, unfortunately Jay died in 2019 aged 27 due to epilepsy.

In 2021, Curtis set up the Jay Watcham Cup, an men’s open singles championship where the winner would receive $500.

Curtis said: “Winning the Jay Watcham Cup was surreal, in the 2021 quarter final I lost 6-4 6-2 to last year’s champion Saamy Pham, so I was definitely this year’s underdog in the final.

“However there was a definitely a sense of relief after the winning shot, I wanted to win this trophy at least once for Jay.”

Curtis became head coach at just 16-years-old which was a big learning curve for him and shaped his coaching style

In this position he ran the entire junior and adult coaching programme, team selection and created partnerships with schools and leisure centres.

Gazette: Lost Friend - Jay Watcham died due to complications of epilepsy in 2019.Lost Friend - Jay Watcham died due to complications of epilepsy in 2019. (Image: Newsquest)

Curtis faced off against Jay regularly and the pair always had close matches full of unconventional and entertaining Tennis.

In July 2016, the two organised a 24-hour-long charity match and played through the night in the fundraiser.

Curtis said: “The day I received the terrible news of Jay’s death was the worst day of my life, it was the first time I had ever lost a loved one and I felt helpless being so far away.

“It was tough at first and I am thankful for my girlfriend Kelsey’s support, she also lost a close friend two years prior.

“As time passes Jay never leaves my mind but I have learned to cherish the memories that we made together.”

Jay’s family asked for donations to be made to Support Dogs UK, a charity that does amazing work training epilepsy seizure alert dogs.

Curtis donated his $500 winnings to the charity in the hopes of contributing to the lifesaving service.