The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Elana Mackey moved one match from clinching the top spot for the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s main draw play in the Giorgio Baldacci National Tennis Tournament.

Yesterday at the National Tennis Centre, Mackey stayed unbeaten, winning her second consecutive match in the qualifying round 6-3, 6-2 over Kinza Johnson.

Two matches were scheduled but that was the only one played as Kaylee Kanuka won by a walkover against Kristin Major.

Mackey, coming off a victory over Kanuka in her first-round match on Sunday, is scheduled to face Major at 1pm. At the same time, Johnson, who won over Major, will face Kanuka.

The top two players from the qualifying round will advance to the main draw that starts on Wednesday.

Kerrie Cartwright is the top-seeded player in the draw.

Junior sensation Sydney Clarke is the defending champion.

Mackey, now in her freshman year at the University of the Bahamas where she has been running cross country as a part of their track and field programme, said she didn’t play as well as she anticipated against Johnson, but it was good enough to win.

“I had a fairly good match today. I started off really slow. I think I was a little nervous coming into the match,” said Mackey, the taller of the two players. “I don’t know what happened. I was just nervous coming into the match.

“I tried my best. I swung out on some of the balls. I guess it’s because of the wind. But I know I could play better than I did today.”

As she looks forward to today’s final round of the qualifying, Mackey said whether she plays or not, her aim is to get into the main draw.

“I hope to at least make it to the semi-final or the final,” she projected. “I just have to play consistent and make my shots.”

After being broken in the first game of the first set, Mackey got the break back to go up 4-2 and they held serve the rest of the set.

In the second set, the first three games were broken as Mackey got the advantage to go up 2-1. She broke Johnson again at 4-1 and 5-2 and held serve for the game, set and match.

The 17-year-old graduate of Nassau Christian Academy, who is now studying biochemistry (major) at UB, said Johnson gave her a good match. The 15-year-old home-schooled Johnson admitted that it was a good match, one that she should have won.

“The match went okay. There are some things that I could have done better, but it’s over. It is what it is,” Johnson said. “My opponent played well.”

If she was a little more consistent, Johnson said she felt she could have had a chance. Now it’s time for her to face Kanuka to determine who gets one of the spots in the main draw.

“I don’t feel any pressure,” she said about playing in the qualifying round. “I just have to go out there and do it.”

In tournament play, Johnson and Kanuka are even at 2-2, which means the winner will get to break their tie and hold onto their head-to-head matchup.

“It’s going to be an exciting match-up,” Johnson told The Tribune.

They are scheduled to start 1pm today at the National Tennis Centre.