The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JUSTIN Roberts, the only Bahamian international tennis player currently with an ATP computer ranking, headed a list of collegiate players who put on an exhibition at the Gym Tennis Club for the Brajaxba Tennis Club over the weekend.

Roberts, fresh off his performance in two tournaments in two weeks in the Dominican Republic where he managed to earn three points to earn a ranking of 1,436, said he was delighted to be able to return home and give back to those persons like Bradley and Marion Bain, who were instrumental in his early development.

“It was a lot of fun. It was nice to come back home and give back to Brajaxba and Mr and Mrs Bain,” he said. “It was good to see some of my old friends like Christian (Cargill), Tre. It was nice to come back home and to hang out with them.”

Not only did they play some exhibition single and doubles matches, but Roberts said he was also able to share some of the valuable lessons that he has learnt from being a part of the University of South Florida men’s tennis team where he has played an integral part in doubles.

“I was able to let them know that it’s a lot of hard work that goes into it but, at the same time, it should be a lot of fun,” said Roberts, now in his sophomore year at USF. “We showed them that they still have a long way to go, but if you keep it fun and work hard, they too can make it.”

While in the Doiminican Republic, 19-year-old Roberts pulled off a couple of huge victories, but none was as big as the one he achieved over Juan Ignacio Galarza, who had a ranking of 417. He even earned a small pocket change with alomst a $1,000 for his efforts in prize money combined for singles and doubles.

“I got my first ATP points and rankings and I got a lot of matches in, which should be good for me when I go back to school to play this month,” said Roberts, who returns to Florida today. “It was a positive experience for me. We start team practice on January 6 and in about a week after that, we have some exhibitions with about three top 20 teams and then we start our season on January 23.

“I’m just going to work hard and try to improve on my game,” he said. “I’m looking forward to some progress as I continue to get better. I think the second half of my season last year was good for me, so I feel I’m on the right path. I just have to continue to work hard.”

And he may have to after coming in on December 18 and indulging in a little of everything, especially eating as much Bahamian food as he could consume. “I’ve been eating everything from cracked conch to fish, peas and rice and macaroni, everything,” he said. “I needed it, but I think I ate too much. I gained some weight. I need to get back to my diet.”

Bain, the head coach for Brajaxba, said it was good to have the corp of players putting on the exhibition.

Roberts teamed up with Treajh Ferguson, a sophomore at Morgan State University, Danielle Thompson, a sophomore at Morgan State University, Erin Strachan, a first year student at Dalhousie University, Savannah Roberts, a high school student in Connecticut and Jacobi Bain, now at the International Global Academy.

Leading the players on the White team was Christian Cargill, a sophomore at William & Mary University. He was joined by touring pro Jody Turnquest, Kayla Frost, a freshman at Mercy-Herst University and Sydney Clarke, a local high school player.

The two teams competed in a series of doubles matches with the Blue team winning the friendly affair 16-9 over the White team.

In the men’s doubles, Roberts and Bain of the Blue team defeated Cargill and Turnquest of the White team 4-2. And in the ladies’ doubles, Strachan and Thompson of the Blue team defeated Frost and Clarke of the White team 4-2. The final two matches were mixed doubles with the Blue team of Bain and Savannah Roberts defeating the White team of Clarke and Turnquest 4-3.

With one match to go, the Blue team led 12-7 in games won and loss. The final match of the day saw the Blue team of Roberts and Thompson defeating the White team of Frost and Turnquest 4-2, giving the Blue Team the overall win of 16-9.

The final event was a friendly game called elimination with all the exhibition players and ball kids, who brought their rackets. The rules were simple - if you make it, you are eliminated. The final two players left were Marlee Martin and Brianna Houlgrave, the two youngest players left. Martin was the last person standing after she hit a ball out over Houlgrave’s head to win the game.

“It was good for some of the people who came out to the Gym Tennis Club to see them play because they haven’t been home in a while,” Bain said. “They have been away competing and playing on the tour or in college. So it was good to have them here, especially Justin, who just recently got his ATP points and now has a ranking.

“It was just great to see his progress because I have been with him since he was seven, but he has been working so hard in terms of wanting to develop his craft and Christian likewise. Up until 12, they competed locally and then they went to tennis academies abroad. So we just got to see a little of them. We knew they were doing well because of the results, but to actually see them play was something different.”

Bain said they played exceptionally well and they entertained the fans.

“You could just see the high level of technical expertise that these guys have, the way they are hitting the ball and the way they are setting everything up and how they are recovering,” Bain said. “The exposure away from the Bahamas has really done them well and I hope in the future, we will see more of them. They are getting ready to go into their college season, all of them, Erin, Danielle, Treajh and Jody, who is going back on the pro circuit.

“To me, what was good was to have players who are just getting ready to step up to the next level and take their rightful places at the next level on the junior ranks like Sydney Clarke, Jacobi Bain and Savannah Roberts . They got to play along with these outstanding collegiate and pro players. They are the bridge to the future. They are the next crop of great junior players that we have and who will be on probably most of the junior national teams.”