The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

With the players jockeying for their positions going into the main draw play, Justin Lunn pulled off one of the biggest upsets on day two of the Giorgio Baldacci Open Nationals.

On Tuesday in the National Tennis Centre in their first match in the round robin, Lunn stunned his Davis Cup captain Marvin Rolle 3-6, 6-3, 10-8 to advance out of Pool C with the number one spot.

Also advancing to the main draw undefeated on the men's side were defending champion and top seed Baker Newman and his brother, No.2 seed Spencer Newman, No.4 seed Kevin Major Jr and No.5 seed Philip Major Jr.

On the ladies' side, top seeds Kerrie Cartwright, Simone Pratt, Danielle Thompson and junior sensation Sydney Clarke all earned their berths undefeated at 2-0 in their respective pools.

Unseeded Lunn's victory came after he blanked both Calum Moodie and Michael Butler to go undefeated at 3-0. It was No.3 seed Rolle's only loss after he won 6-0, 6-0 over Butler and 6-1, 6-0 over Moodie.

"I started off really tight. I was kind of nervous. This was actually my first time beating Marvin and he was coaching me and everything, so it was a challenge for me to see where my game was," Lunn said.

"Throughout the whole match, I was just a little nervous, but I'm so happy to have pulled it off."

In the first set, Rolle broke Lunn at 2-2 to go on to win the first set. But Lunn returned the favor with a break at 2-1 to level the score and force the tiebreaker. "My confidence just jumped really high. He's in the main draw as well, but it's always so good to win. I'm just excited. Hopefully I can keep this momentum going and I can bring my game back and relax in the rest of the tournament. Hopefully I can do very well."

Although he came out on the short end of the deal, Rolle had nothing but praise for his opponent.

"Justin is a tough player. He returned a lot of balls and he served very well," Rolle said. "He just pulled it out in the third set. He came up with some big points in the tiebreaker."

As he now prepares for the main draw, Rolle said he intends to be ready because he knows that the competition won't get any easier. "I just have to see who I get and go from there," he said.

Baker Newman continues to prove why he's the defending champion and top seed. He concluded Pool A with a 6-0, 6-1 win over fellow collegian Joshua Turnquest. "I was real happy with the way I played. It was a real solid match," said Newman, who is coming off an injury in his season year at Vanderbilt University.

At 5-0 in the second set, Turnquest managed to hold serve for his only point in the match. But Newman closed it by holding serve as well.

"I played alright today, but he was just better than me," said Turnquest, a 6-2 freshman at Asbury University. "He was just getting a lot of balls back. That's why he's the defending champion.

"This was my first real test so far, but I still made it through the main draw, so hopefully I can turn things around."

Spencer Newman, a graduate of the University of Florida, said his goal is to get into the final to face his brother in the rematch from last year.

He moved on to the main draw with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Michael Cooper. "The focus was there. Maybe I didn't have to play that many games, but everyday you have to come out and give it your all," he insisted. "Just like everyday, I have to come out here and play as if I'm playing (Roger) Federer and just keep leaving on the line with everything I got. I feel my legs are still fresh, so I'm ready to go."

Kevin Major Jr also earned a 6-0, 6-0 win over William 'JJ' Fountain to win Pool D with a 3-0 record. He feels he's getting into a groove right now. "Today was a lot smoother. There were still some mistakes that I made, but I'm playing with a lot more confidence," he said. "Anytime I play tournaments on the first day, it's always hard for me, but as it goes on, I get better."

If he can work on his mental aspect of his game, Major Jr knows that he can produce some good results the rest of the tournament.

Philip Major Jr won 6-0, 6-4 over Jody Turnquest, but he admitted that it's going to be tough.

"I'm starting to feel a lot better, but I know I have a lot of work to do physically. I'm managing," he pointed out. "I really appreciate my father, Philip Major Sr and Marvin Rolle for giving me the belief that I need to push through."

In the second set, Major Jr broke at 3-3 before Turnquest got the break back and they held out the rest of the match.

While Cartwright and Pratt both won their two matches on day one in Pool A and B respectively and didn't have to play on day two, Thompson earned the top spot in Pool C with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Afrika Smith and Clarke got by Sierra Donaldson 6-1, 6-4 to clinch the top spot out of Pool D.

Former Fed Cup player/coach Larikah Russell finished in the number two spot in pool B to also advance to the main draw after she pulled of an identical 6-1, 6-1 win over junior player Elana Mackey.

In other matches played on the men's side, Donte Armbrister blanked Nathan Thompson 6-0, 6-0; Oneal Mortimer got a walk/over win against Robert Smith; Shannon Francis knocked of Archie Burrows 6-1, 6-1 and Calum Moodie held off Michael Butler 7-5, 6-7, 10-6.