The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Kevin Major Jr pulled off a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Justin Roberts, but it wasn’t enough for the blue team to stop the white team from sealing a close 16-15 decision in Brajaxba 2016 Elite Tennis Exhibition on Saturday at the Winton Tennis Centre.

Competing for the white team, Roberts teamed up with fellow collegian Christian Cargill and rising young star Jacobi Bain and female players Savannah Roberts and Vika Malman as they out-lasted the blue team that included Major Jr, Philip Major Jr, Joshua Turnquest, Jodi Turnquest, Iesha Shepherd and Sydney Clarke.

The exhibition featured a series of matches, commentated by the colourful Eddie Carter. Each match was a best-of-four set with the tie-breaking with no advantage to determine a winner at 2-2.

In matches played, Bain and Cargill won 3-1 over Turnquest and Turnquest in men’s doubles; Roberts and Cargill won 3-2 (2) over the Majors in another men’s doubles; the combo of Jodi and Joshua Turnquest and Clarke slipped past Bain and Roberts 3-2 (9) in mixed doubles; Shepherd and Clarke knocked off Malman and Roberts 3-1 in ladies’ doubles; Bain def. Joshua Turnquest 4-0 in men’s singles; Philip Major Jr beat Cargill 3-2 (1) in another men’s singles and Roberts sealed the deal with his 3-2 win over Kevin Major Jr in the final men’s singles.

Brajaxba founder and head coach Bradley Bain said the exhibition was to provide the public an opportunity to view some of the best players in the country in action as they return home for the Christmas break from playing in college, academies or on the pro circuit.

“Most of the times they are in college and after college they are on the tour playing in Futures tournaments, so we don’t get the opportunity to see them,” Bain said. “They are some of the best players and so we wanted to take the opportunity to expose them to the public, who only get to read stories about them and now they can see them in person.”

The event also turned out to be a charity one for Brajaxba, which raised some funds that they presented to Special Olympics Bahamas at the end of the night. In the future, Bain said they hope to expand on what they are doing by honouring some of the former outstanding tennis players in the country.

The exhibition came just after the conclusion of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s annual Giorgio Baldacci National Open Tennis Tournament that was played at the National Tennis Centre and featured the majority of the top players in the country, who tried out for both the Davis Cup for men and the Fed Cup team for ladies.

Roberts, along with Cargill, didn’t participate. But Roberts, a junior at the University of South Florida where he’s having a sensational season with the Bulls, said he had a lot of fun.

“I grew up with these guys, so it was good to come back and play against them after two of three years,” Roberts said. “So it was nice to become and play in front of the crowd. It was only an exhibition, so it was all about having some fun.”

Roberts, in leaving town on January 5, said he’s now preparing for the Bulls’ season starting with the ITA Tournament on January 28 against LSU in Gainesville, Florida, heading into the ITA National Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend of February 17-19.

Cargill, who will be preparing to graduate in May from college, said he was pleased to participate for the first time.

“It’s good to be back here to play with the juniors, who were really young when I left here at 15,” Cargill said. “I’m glad to see how they are improving, so it’s good to be able to give back to the players who are the future. But it was also good to play with players like Justin, who is doing really well in college too.”

For Kevin Major Jr, the fourth place finisher in the Giorgio Baldacci Open, said it didn’t matter the final outcome.

“It was all about having fun,” said Major Jr., who displayed some high level tennis during his match with Roberts. “I was just having fun. It was more for the audience to see our talent. When I heard the score, I tried to win it outright for my team, but my strings popped at the end of the match and I couldn’t do it. It was fun, but I did try to win it so we could win the whole thing.”

Major, 21, is looking forward to enrolling at Seminole State Junior College in Oklahoma in two weeks and may not be available for Davis Cup duties in February against Venezuela.

Joshua Turnquest, who also participated in the Giorgio Baldacci, said he was delighted to play with his friends and former team-mates.

“The level was very high. Despite the fact that we really didn’t get to warm up, it was pretty good,” said Turnquest, who will continue his freshman year for Asbury University on February 29 against Union College in Wilmore, Kentucky,

Clarke, the runner-up to Shepherd in the Giorgio Baldacci Nationals in the ladies’ singles, said she was delighted to be a part of the field of competitors.

“I felt I played great and I thought I played great and I had a good time interacting with everybody,” said the 15-year-old tenth grader at the CR Walker Secondary High School. “I love playing in front of the crowd. Everybody was excited about the shots that we made and so I’m happy.”

And Savannah Roberts, enrolled at the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, said she look forward every year of being a part of the tournament.

“This year I wasn’t as nervous. It was better,” she said. “I feel the competition was much better and so I was really excited to play.”

Both the audience and the players were entertained by the comic comments from chair umpire Eddie Carter during the matches.

Bain said he anticipate that the competition will be even better in December when they look forward to getting more of the top players to come out and participate.