The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas women’s national tennis team moved to 2-0 in the Americas Zone II Fed Cup play yesterday after coming from behind to clinch a 2-1 victory over Trinidad & Tobago in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Team Bahamas, coached by Marvin Rolle, opened play on Wednesday with a 2-1 win over Bolivia. In yesterday’s matches on the outdoor clay courts at the National Tennis Centre, Team Bahamas came away with an identical 2-1 decision over Trinidad & Tobago and is now on the verge of advancing to the playoffs for promotion to Group One.

Danielle Thompson lost her opening singles 6-3, 6-2 to Brenna Stampfli yesterday before Kerrie Cartwright evened the second match at 1-1 before her opponent Yolande Leacock was forced to retire. Leacock had given Trinidad & Tobago a 1-0 lead with her 6-4 win, but Cartwright tied it up with a 6-2 decision.

With Cartwright taking the advantage in the first game with Leacock serving, the Trinidadian was unable to finish the match after she fell down and reportedly hurt her knee as Cartwright was awarded the win to move the Bahamas into the 1-1 tie.

It came down to the doubles where Cartwright came back and teamed up with Grand Bahamian Simone Pratt. They went on to win 6-4, 6-3 over Anneliese Rose and Stampfli to secure the 2-1 victory for the Bahamas, who moved to 2-0 in the standings in Pool B of Group II.

The Bahamas has one more match left against Bermuda, who is winless so far in the tournament, before they prepare for the playoffs and a chance to get promoted to Group One for 2019.

Rolle, fresh off leading the men’s Davis Cup team to a promotion in Group II for next year, said after they were tied at 1-1 in singles, a decision was made to go with the combo of Cartwright and Pratt after Thompson complained of cramping up a bit in the second set of her singles.

“Kerrie and Simone played well,” Rolle said. “We were down in the first set, but they came back strong and won. Then they pulled it out in the second. So the Bahamas did very well today. Tomorrow we have Bermuda. I think once we beat Bermuda, we will come out No.1 in the group and we will play the No.1 team in the other group.”

The other pool is comprised of Peru, Cuba and Uruguay. Peru has won all two of their matches against Cuba and Uruguay to clinch the top spot. Should the Bahamas beat Bermuda, they will advance to play Peru. The winner of that match would automatically clinch a berth in Zone One for 2019.

Team Bahamas opened play on Wednesday with Thompson and Cartwright winning their singles. However, the team of Pratt and Sierra Donaldson, the other member of the team, lost in doubles.

Once they’re done with the Fed Cup, the team, with the exception of Donaldson, will head to Colombia to participate in the 23rd Central American and Caribbean Games that got started yesterday.

Rolle will coach the men’s team of Philip Major Jr, Kevin Major Jr and brothers Spencer and Baker Newman. Thompson, Cartwright and Pratt will play on the ladies’ team that will be coached by Larikah Russell.

Tennis will be a part of the Bahamian delegation at the games that will include men’s basketball, men’s softball, track and field, swimming, sailing, judo, fencing and boxing. The Bahamas will be represented by a delegation of 60 athletes, 21 coaches and three team officials.