The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IT’S going to be a small field, but Larikah Russell said she’s still expecting the Giorgio Baldacci Battle of the Elite Players Tournament to be an exciting one.

Main draw play is scheduled to begin today at the National Tennis Centre, but the ladies will probably not start until Thursday because there are only five players registered to participate. Russell, now the top seed, got a bye, as did No.2 seed Danielle Thompson and Grand Bahamian Shay’Tonya Missick.

The only first round match will see No.3 seed Nikkita Fountain take on No.4 seed Iesha Shephard. The winner will play Russell in the semifinal, while Missick and Thompson will clash in the other half of the draw.

Russell, back in town after spending some time at home in Grand Bahama, said she’s just hoping to go out and have some fun.

“I don’t really have any high expectations because we are probably going to miss some of the top players like Simone Pratt and Kerrie Cartwright, who are both injured,” said Russell, the former Bahamian No.1 player. “Things happen, but I hope that they can get better because we will really need them when we play the Fed Cup next year.”

The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association is hoping to use this tournament as a measuring stick in their selection of the team that will represent the Bahamas in the Americas Zone 1 in Lambare, Paraguay, February 5-8 against Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay and Venezuela.

Last year, Russell was the player/captain for the team of Simone Pratt, Kerrie Cartwright and Danielle Thompson in the Americans Group II in Santa Tecla, El Salvador. The team won Group B by going undefeated for their promotion to Group 1 this year.

“I haven’t been training. I just got started again because I want to play Fed Cup again next year,” Russell said. “It’s going to be at the beginning of February, so I want to get ready for that. Hopefully we can get that same team together again because that was a good mixture of talent and we did very well. So hopefully we can all be back together in Paraguay.”

While she will be ready for her singles match, Russell is also intended to team up with Alanna Rodgers in doubles and hopefully with Davis Cup player Marvin Rolle in mixed doubles.

Last year’s Fed Cup top two seeds Simone Pratt and Kerrie Russell will not play in the tournament because of injuries, but the other team member Danielle Thompson is looking forward to playing doubles with Gabrielle Moxey.

“Not that many of the girls will be playing, but I’m hoping that I can get in a match or two,” Thompson said. “I just want to play my best. With not a lot of girls playing, the competition will not be as high as it used to be, but I’m looking forward to doing my best against whoever comes.”

Thompson, 18, just completed high school and is now heading to Morgan State on a full athletic scholarship next year.

Moxey, 19, is now in her sophomore year at Howard University in Washington DC where she is majoring in accounting. She will be returning to school in January to play for the Bison women’s tennis team and so she has to go back prepared for the upcoming season.

“For me, I just want to work on improving my game for the upcoming season,” she said. “I’m just hoping to enjoy myself in this tournament. I know a lot of the women are participating this year, but I’m looking forward to playing doubles with Danielle Thompson and mixed doubles with Jodi Turnquest.”