Clarke undefeated in singles at UTC Invite

It was a busy Halloween weekend for Bahamian collegiate tennis player Sydney Clarke as she won both of her single matches when her University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Blazers took the two-hour trip to play in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) Invite in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The tournament got underway on Friday, October 30, and wrapped up on Sunday, November 1. The Blazers played on Saturday and Sunday and went up against the University of Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders and the host, the UTC Mocs.

It was a very intense weekend for Clarke because she had to maintain her focus as she played against higher level players than she was used to. She had to stay on top of her game and develop a winning strategy.

“I was very satisfied with my performance this weekend because I stuck to my game plan. Coach Mark Tija (UAB head coach) and I came up with a strategy that I would use the entire weekend. Our strategy was dominating with my forehand then coming to the net. This resulted in me being very successful in my singles matches,” Clarke said.

Clarke played in the fourth match of the day on Saturday and played against the Blue Raiders’ Muskan Gupta. In the first set, the Bahamian fell 4-6. The second set was also competitive as Gupta pushed Clarke. However, it was Clarke who pushed for a third set as she won the second set 7-5.

In the third set, the game was competitive again as Clarke dug deep to win the third set tiebreaker 13-11 and win 1-0. That win gave the Blazers their second win of the day. After Clarke’s victory, the Blazers won the final two matches of the day – all against the Blue Raiders.

On Sunday, Clarke disposed of her opponent, the Mocs’ Caroline Gibbens, in two straight sets. In the first set she won 7-5. The second set saw her winning 6-4.

Despite the setbacks with the COVID-19 pandemic, Clarke is still able to take part in practice, tournaments and invitationals like this one. She said that she knows of some schools that are not able to practice or competed so she is thankful for the opportunity to play. However, Clarke said it is stressful playing during these times as there are so many protocols to follow. They have to fill out a health check passport to see if anyone has COVID-19 symptoms. Not following the protocols can result in missing school and tennis activities.

She also took part in doubles action over the weekend to finish that portion with two wins and two losses. In her first doubles match on Saturday, with teammate Megan Bertrands, they took down the Blue Raiders’ Lilly Sophie Schmidt and Noelle Mauro. The score for that match was 6-2.

In the second match on Saturday, Clarke teamed up with Dominika Hrabalova. They played against the Blue Raiders’ Gupta and Zani Barnard. Clarke and Hrabalova fell 7-5.

Clarke and her teammate Jana Hecking came up short in their first match on Sunday. They lost 6-2 to Moc’s Gibbens and Emma Van Hee.

It was a dominating victory for Clarke and teammate Adela Wasserbauerova in Clarke’s final tennis action on the weekend. They convincingly won 6-1 over the Moc’s duo of Callie Billman and Grace Anne Dunavant.

Clarke was happy with the Blazers’ performance as a team over the weekend as they look to keep improving.

“All of us incorporated the strategies that we practiced into the matches we played,” Clarke said. “The main accomplishment for us was serving and volleying every time in our doubles matches. We were very successful doing this skill and once we perfect this skill, our team will be even stronger. Despite the fails, our positivity makes us the team that we are and gets us through the tough situations we face.”

This was her second competitive outing as a Blazer. Back in September, she fell in a semi-final match against Kennedy Gibbs at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Fall Circuit in Huntsville, Alabama.

Clarke, who was named the 2019 Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture Junior Female Athlete of the Year, said her play has gotten better since she has gone to college.

“My game has improved tremendously since I’ve come to UAB. The coaches are taking their time to rebuild my style of play and making it into a weapon that would be helpful for our team,” Clarke said.

The freshman added: “My mental toughness has improved greatly. We use an app called headspace that helps our minds to gain focus. At our group practices, we do this before warming up and playing. It keeps me calm during my matches and helps me to think clearly when I need it most.”

The 2018 Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association National Female Champion is pursuing a degree in marketing or entrepreneurship (still undecided). It has been a task as she looks to balance school and tennis, which were overwhelming at times. However, the Blazers’ many resources to assist students have helped her a lot with the transition.

The Blazers are slated head to Huntsville, Alabama, this weekend to play in the ITA Fall Circuit once that is not canceled or postponed. They are also preparing for their first team match, scheduled for January 19, 2021. Their team goal is to make the Conference-USA finals.

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