The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Make it their second straight spectacular showing for the Bahamas women’s national tennis team at the prestigious Billie Jean King Cup at the Centro Nacional de Tenis Parque del Este in the Dominican Republic.

The team, playing as the top seeds in the Americas Zone III, pulled off an impressive 3-0 win over Bermuda yesterday to remain undefeated in their first two games in pool A. They will close out round robin play today against the Dominican Republic, who is expected to provide the stiffest challenge for the team in their group.

Just like she did on Monday in the Bahamas’ 3-0 sweep over El Salvador, number two seeded player Elana Mackey was the first out of the gate and she pulled off an identical 6-1, 6-1 decision over Asia- Leigh Hollis.

“I thought I played pretty well today (Tuesday). I was able to experiment with some shots that I didn’t feel comfortable with trying yesterday (Monday) in today’s match,” Mackey said. “The girl I played had a really good baseline game so I had to come in to the net and finish off the points quickly.”

Compared to Monday’s opener, the Mars Hill University cross country and tennis star said she was pleased with how she executed yesterday because she was “very comfortable and the energy was better.”

Sydney Clarke, the top seeded player on the team, followed with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Shelby Madeiros.

“My performance today was great. I was in my element and hardly made much errors. I didn’t give my opponent any free points,” Clarke said. “Even when I zoned out for a bit, I was able to quickly regroup and get back in control of the match.

Clarke, however, noted that her performance yesterday was much better than her opener. “I was more locked in,” said Clarke, who attends the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

“My opponent today was a weaker player which made me raise my focus rather than play down to their level.”

Both Mackey and Clarke, winning their matches yesterday in just 52 minutes, have only given up two games in their two matches played so far. If that wasn’t enough, Clarke came back and teamed up with player/captain Simone Pratt from Grand Bahama for a 6-0, 6-1 decision over the Bermuda’s duo of Durham and Jackson in 43 minutes.

As she prepares for today’s match against the Dominican Republic, Clarke said she’s “looking forward to raising my focus and radiating lots of energy on court. Whether I’m winning or losing my goal is to have the same fight and belief from start to finish.”

Against the Dominican Republic, the 19-year-old Mackey agreed that Team Bahamas will have to step up their game a lot more.

“They are a very good team,” Mackey reflected.

“I’m hoping to see Team Bahamas in the playoffs and being very competitive with the rest of the teams.”

Also playing on the team but yet to see any action on the court is Sierra Rodgers, the youngest member at age 16.

The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association congratulated the team that is being sponsored in the Dominican Republic by Fidelity Bank and Trust Bahamas Limited.