The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Day one of the men’s singles competition at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, turned out to be a tale of both ends of the spectrum for Justin Roberts and Baker Newman.

Roberts was the national flag carrier for the Bahamas during the official opening ceremonies,

And he had to struggle for two hours before he prevailed with a hard-fought 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 marathon victory in two hours and 35 minutes over Sergio Galdos of Peru.

Baker, on the other hand, had a relatively easy time as he disposed of Lluis Miralles from El Salvador in identical scores of 6-2 and 6-2 in one hour and 17 minutes.

Roberts in marathon

Fresh off winning his first ITF men’s singles and doubles titles back-to-back over the last two weeks before he headed to Peru, Roberts’ debut for the Bahamas at the senior international level was a little more than he anticipated.

Galdos, 29, took control of the match in the first set, using just 40 minutes to set the pace. He was 31-for-37 on his first serve compared to Roberts’ 33-for-49. And on points won on 1st serve, Galdos was 22-for-31, while Roberts was 33-for-49.

Roberts, 22, got over the jitters and took 53 minutes to pull even in the second set in a tiebreaker. In the second set, Roberts went up 2-0 on a break before Galdos broke and held for a 2-2 tie. They both held serve to go to the tiebreaker as Roberts managed to secure the win.

Roberts finished with three aces but had five double faults and 10 service winners. Galdos only had 16 service winners.

Roberts was also 22-for-27 on points won on the first serve, compared to Galdos’ 24-for-32.

Then in the third and deciding set, Roberts once again held and broke for a 2-0 lead. They both held for the duration of the set with Roberts serving out for the game, set and match in 55 minutes.

Roberts came up with seven service winners against Galdos’ eight in the third set. Roberts, however, had a 17-19 production on points won on 1st serve, while Galdos was 17-for-26.

In the second round, it won’t get any easier as Roberts is scheduled to face number eight seed Jose Hernandez from the Dominican Republic. Hernandez, 29, got a bye in the first round.

Newman in two straight

In the first set that lasted 45 minutes, both players got an ace. In the first serve, Baker was 15-for-20 for 75 per cent and Miralles was 16-for-29 for 67 per cent. And on the points won on their first serve, Baker had a slim 10-for-15 advantage over Miralles, who was 7-for-16. Baker also dominated with a 30-18 margin over Miralles.

Baker, 24, came back in the second set that went 45 minutes with four double faults and no aces, while Miralles, 18, produced an ace without any double faults.

Baker, however, connected on 19-of-28 first serves for a 68 percentage, compared to Miralles’ 20-for-33 for 61 per cent.

On points won on his first serve, Baker was 16-for-19 and Miralles was 11-for-20.

With his victory, Baker will now go on to play Guido Andreozzi from Argentina in the second round. Andreozzi got a bye in the first round. Baker and Roberts will also team up to play doubles. The draw for the 17 teams entered have not yet been released.

In addition to tennis, the Bahamas will also be represented by a 10-member team, coached by Andy Loveitt and Jorge Rodriquez. The team, managed by Rochelle Bastian, will begin competition on Tuesday, August 6.

A total of 15 athletes have been named to the track and field team, managed by Dawn Johnson, but won’t start competing until Tuesday, August 6.

It’s not known if all of the athletes named will compete or will be replaced by anyone else following the BAAA Nationals over the weekend in Grand Bahama as the majority of the team didn’t participate.

And Cynthia Rahming will be the lone competitor in judo that will start on Thursday, August 8. Her father, D’Arcy Rahming, serves as the chef de mission for Team Bahamas.

The games wrap up on August 11.