The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE stage is set for the American Zone II Davis Cup tie this weekend at the Doral Park Country Club in Miami, Florida.

The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association has already sent its four-member team off as they wind down their preparation to take on Venezuela in what is their home venue. Venezuela opted to play the tie in Miami instead of Venezuela because of the civil unrest there.

When the event takes place from Friday to Sunday, top seed Spencer Newman, No.2 seed Philip Major Jr, player/captain Marvin Rolle and No.4 seed Justin Lunn will represent the Bahamas. They will face the team of Ricardo Rodriguez, Luis David Martinez, Jordi Munoz-Abreu and Miguel Angel Este.

Yohny Romero will serve as Venezuela’s captain.

While none of the Bahamian players have any ATP rankings, Venezuela’s top three players do. Rodriguez is listed at No.779 in singles and 923 in doubles; Martinez is pegged at 1237 in singles and 243 in doubles and Munoz-Abreu is 1265 in singles and 316 in doubles.

A number of BLTA executives are expected to be joined by officials from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, family members and friends in Miami for the tie this weekend.

At the end of the tournament, which will comprise of best-of-five set singles and doubles, the winner will advance to the second round over the weekend of April 7-9 to play the winner between Bolivia and El Salvador to either remain in zone II for 2018 or go on to play for promotion to zone one for 2018 in the third round September 15-17 at a site to be announced.

The loser will play the loser between Bolivia and El Salvador over the weekend of April 7-9 with the winner remaining in zone II next year and the loser being demoted to zone III.

The team of brothers Baker and Spencer Newman along with Kevin Major and Marvin Rolle as the player/captain pulled the Bahamas out of zone III last year in Bolivia.

The Newman brothers pulled off impressive victories to give the Bahamas a 2-0 decision over Jamaica in the clincher.

In December during the BLTA’s Annual Giorgio Baldacci National Open, Baker beat Spencer to earn the top spot, while Rolle got third and Kevin Major Jr finished fourth.

However, Baker Newman was unable to get out of his college commitment at the University of Vanderbilt. Philip Major Jr, who was fifth, replaced him. Kevin Major Jr just enrolled at Seminole State Junior College in Oklahoma and he was not able to make the trip to Miami, so Justin Lunn, who finished sixth in the tournament, replaced Major Jr.

The Bahamas, currently ranked at number 75 in the world, holds a 5-2 advantage in their head-to-head match-up against Venezuela, who is now ranked at No.44.

In their last meeting in 2008 at the National Tennis Center, the Bahamas won 4-1 in the first round of the American II tie. The Bahamas also won 3-1 in Venezuela in 1999 in the American Zone One final; 3-2 at the Nassau Beach Hotel in 1997 in the Group One first round; 5-0 in Caracas, Venezuela in 1992 in the Group II final and 5-0 at the Wyndham Beach Tennis Center in 1989 in Group II first round.

Venezuela pulled of back-to-back victories in 2003 in the Group One final in Maracaibo, Venezuela and 3-2 in 2002 at the Nassau Beach Hotel in the Group One first round.