It would be a long day on Thursday at the Billie Jean King Cup (BJK) in Santo Domingo starting at 9 am and ending at 7 pm. The team would face Costa Rica for the last match in pool play. Elana Mackey playing in the #2 spot would go to a 3-setter coming out on top. Sydney Clarle in the #1 position would also go the distance in a 3-setter in her match with Costa Rica coming out on top. The tie would be decided in the doubles with Sydney Clarke and Simone Pratt playing well and winning in straight sets in doubles. The win was a good one for the team after dropping the tie against Venezuela and Paraguay. The team ended in the 3rd position in pool play.
Team Bahamas BJK would then need a win on Friday to stay in Group 2. However, the team fell short in both singles matches against the host country Dominican Republic. Elana played hard but lost in straight sets. Sydney Clarke fought hard and competed well in the number 1 position. She won the 2nd set and sent the match to the 3rd set but came up a bit short. The team noted that they had some strong performances and they hope to take some great points with them as they move to Group 3 Americas. Ecuador and Venezuela were promoted to Group 1. 2023 Team Bahamas BJK consisted of Sydney Clarke, Elana Mackey, Simone Pratt, Saphirre Ferguson and Captain Kim O’Kelley.
Also in the Dominican Republic were two U12 Bahamian Teams competing in the Cotecc U12 competition in Santiago. The U12 Girls team of Danielle Saunders, Caitlyn Pratt and Marina Bostwick finished 3rd out of the 4 teams in the competition. Caitlyn Pratt played in the #2 position and won all of her singles matches against Puerto Rico and the two Dominican teams, going undefeated in singles in the team competition. The team was captained by Coach Paula Whitfield.
The U12 Boys team of Kingston Rees, Chase Newbold and Cameron Ferguson finished 4th out of the 5 teams. Chase Newbold playing in the #2 and #1 position would win his final two singles matches with the team picking up a win over Dominican Team 2 on the final day of round-robin play. The team was captained by Philip Major Jr.
The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association congratulates the athletes for their respective participation. We know that you have worked hard with the support of your parents and coaches. We would like to thank the captains who ably accompanied the teams: Coach Kim O’Kelley, Coach Paula Whitfield and Coach Philip Major Jr. We also thank the administrative and team travel volunteers who arranged and prepared the team for the competition. Thanks to God who have safely brought our players back home.
The BLTA is pleased to have fielded a total of 8 teams for international representation for 2023. Some of the major costs included airfare, hotel, uniforms and coaching expenses. We encourage sponsors and volunteers to assist with the teams for 2024 as we seek to continue to provide this opportunity for team competition for our athletes.
Original Post Date: 8/1/2023
