It was not the finish that they had hoped for but The Bahamas women’s national tennis team had to settle for third place at the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC), formerly Fed Cup, that wrapped up on Saturday at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento Fred Maduro in Panama City, Panama.
The Bahamas took down El Salvador in the Americas Group II third-place tie, winning the two singles matches.
Playing for The Bahamas at the four-day tournament were player/captain Kerrie Cartwright, Sierra Donaldson, Sydney Clarke and Elana Mackey.
On Saturday, Clarke and Cartwright ensured that the doubles match would not be played as both of them won their singles matchups to give The Bahamas the clinching 2-0 scoreline.
“I am happy and proud of the ladies,” Cartwright said. “It wasn’t the outcome we wanted but I’m glad we were able to come in third. The tie against El Salvador was tough but Sydney and I played well and we were able to overcome the challenges that came our way.”
Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) President Perry Newton was on hand to watch the ladies compete. He said he was proud of the team.
“I am proud of The Bahamas’ Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) team as they displayed maturity on and off the court,” Newton said. “The Bahamas has a strong core of female players. The experience from this year’s BJKC team is an indication that we have talented players who are fierce competitors and who are committed to representing the country. I must commend the organizing team that handled the preparation for the team to travel. They really made the process seamless for the players as there were a lot more protocols that had to be followed. One thing that we need to improve is team training. Being able to get the team together more frequently to train together will be beneficial.”
Clarke got the ball rolling for The Bahamas against El Salvador as she bounced back from her loss on Friday to win 6-3 and 6-3 against Matia Cristiani. Cartwright played after Clarke and sealed the win for The Bahamas when she won 6-3 and 6-4 over Sara Valentina Cruz Bonilla.
Cartwright, who finished with a perfect 3-0 win/loss record in the tournament, won the first two games in the first set on Saturday before taking a decisive 5-2 lead. She only gave up two points in the ninth game, coming away with the first set victory, 6-3. It was a tougher second set for her as she trailed early in the set twice – 1-0 and 2-1. She tied it at two before taking a 4-2 lead. Cruz Bonilla tied it 4-4 before Cartwright won the final two games and the match.
The veteran, who played in her ninth BJKC and picked up her 21st career singles victory in the tournament, said that throughout the tournament, she tried to stay focused on each point.
Clarke won two of her three matches in the tournament. She came from a 2-0 hole on Saturday to tie the first set at three before winning the next three games and the set. It was a better start from Clarke in the second set as she went up 2-0. The 18-year-old had a 5-2 lead before Cristiani won the next game. Clarke won the following game to put the match away. The Bahamian served better in this game and did not record a double fault. She said she enjoyed her experience at the tournament.
“My experience during this tournament was great. I enjoyed being able to play in a professional environment. I learnt that my game can be very dominant when I’m zoned in completely. I look forward to improving and making new changes to my game,” Clarke said.
As the captain, Cartwright said that the other team members were supportive of each other and feels that the tournament will help Donaldson, Mackey and Clarke with their collegiate careers.
“I tried to be there for the ladies and they tried to be there for me, so we supported each other. I feel as though this week is a learning stepping stone and the challenges we went through will help them with their matches in college and for more competitions,” Cartwright said.
Clarke will be home working on her game and Cartwright will look to compete as much as she can and improve her game this summer.
Next up for the BLTA will be the Americas Group III Davis Cup Tournament that will be played at the same location. That tournament will get underway on Wednesday and will wrap up on Saturday. Playing on that team will be player/captain Marvin Rolle, Justin Roberts, Kevin Major Jr. and Baker Newman. Newton said the team is talented and has a great chance to be promoted to the Americas Group II for 2022.
Major is already in Panama and the other three players were set to join him yesterday.
The post The Bahamas finishes third at BJKC appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/the-bahamas-finishes-third-at-bjkc/
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