The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WITH near perfect performances, the Bahamas breezed past Bermuda to clinch the top spot with a 3-0 win-loss record in pool B of Zone II of the Fed Cup Group II round robin on Friday in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Now they face hosts Ecuador on Saturday for a chance to qualify for Group One for 2019. 

Danielle Thompson, playing in the opening match for the third time in the tournament, won 6-0, 6-1 over Shelby Maderion of Bermuda, getting back on track after losing for the first time against Trinidad & Tobago. Kerrie Cartwright followed with an impressive 6-0, 6-0 win over Ashley Brooks to remain undefeated. And in the doubles, the duo of Simone Pratt and Sierra Donaldson, playing for the second time since their opening match, won 6-1, 6-1 over Bermuda's combo of Jahzuena Bradshaw-Douglas and Kirstin Saltus.

"The girls performed well today against Bermuda," said Marvin Rolle, the coach of the team. "Danielle started off strong in singles. She started off strong, was determined and she got the win and then Kerrie came out second with the number one singles and she also came out strong, ready to win and she did what she had to do.

"Sierra and Simone played the doubles. They played well together. They gelled and they came out with the win. Congratulations to Sierra Donaldson for her first Fed Cup win."

Thompson, fresh from completing her collegiate career, admitted that she was nervous playing in the opening match. But she said once she claimed down, she was able to get the ball rolling and the performances kept flowing for the Bahamas.

"Today, we played good. 3-0 against Bermuda. Catch us tomorrow," she stated. 

Cartwright, the Bahamas' only female professional player on the circuit right now, said everything just fell in place for Team Bahamas.

"Danielle went out and played first. I know she was nervous. We all were nervous," she pointed out. "She came out with the win and that gave me a lot of momentum going into my singles and I came out and won my match. Then Simone and Sierra went out there in doubles and dominated completely. Sierra to her first win in Fed Cup, which was amazing. I'm so happy for her. Today, we came out with the win."

The Bahamas won all three of their matches over Bolivia on Wednesday, Trinidad & Tobago on Thursday and Bermuda on Friday. The Bahamas will now face Ecuador in the promotional playoffs to see who will join Mexico, who won 2-0 over Peru in Zone A last month, to move up to Group One in 2019.

In 2013 in El Salvador, the team of Thompson, Cartwright, Pratt and player/coach Larikah Russell advanced out of Zone II to one with a win over the Dominican Republic. But in 2014 in Paraguay, the team of Iesha Shepherd, Pratt, Nikkita Fountain and Russell as the player/coach lost in the relegation playoff round to Venezuela and dropped to Zone II.