The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

His debut on the Bahamas Davis Cup team wasn’t exactly what he anticipated, but Justin Roberts said he was just glad to come out with his first victory in the American Zone III competition yesterday in Panama City, Panama.

As the top seeded player for Team Bahamas, Roberts pulled off an identical 6-4, 6-4 victory over Maikiel Ponte Suarez to seal a 2-0 win after No.2 seed Kevin Major Jr won the opening match 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 over Lazaro Navarro-Batles. After a rain delay, the Bahamas’ duo of player/captain Marvin Rolle and Baker Newman dropped a hard fought 4-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-2 decision in doubles to Cuba’s Joan Perez Bernal and Osmel Rivera Granja.

“The tennis wasn’t the best, but it was a special day,” Roberts said. “I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time. I didn’t play well, but I got the job done. It was a lot of fun. I had the Bahamas on my side, so it felt good. It was a long time coming.”

Having finally gotten his first match under his belt, Roberts said it’s just the first of many to come. He said he was even more inspired after watching Major Jr get the Bahamas off to a 1-0 start.

“He wasn’t happy with his singles either. He didn’t play his best tennis, but he was able to fight. He knows how to win,” Roberts said. “The guy came out playing, but KJ came back strong. I was happy for him. I think the performances showed that our chances are very good here.”

Major Jr, coming off a tournament in Europe, said his opponent played an unbelievable first set, but he didn’t allow that to deter him. “I just stayed with him. I knew I had to play much better to beat him and that is what I did,” Major Jr said. “It was a good feeling to play in the Davis Cup again. I haven’t played in a while so I had to get my wind back. That felt pretty good too.”

Major Jr, however, said he was impressed with Roberts’ performance. “Like I said before, I knew what these guys are all capable of, so I wasn’t surprised,” Major Jr said. “So seeing what he did today, I knew he was capable of doing it.”

As for the doubles, although they lost, both Newman and Rolle felt they gave it their best shot. “It was a tough loss in doubles, but we took it as a team,” Newman said. “We missed a couple of shots. We had our chances, but we got a couple of matches in, so it was good.”

Rolle, known as the doubles specialist on the team, admitted that it was a tough loss. “We had a good showing today. Justin did well in his singles, so did KJ,” he said. “It came down to the doubles, but we couldn’t come out with the W. But it was a good showing for the Bahamas.”

Team Bahamas will have today off, but will be back on the court on Friday against Guatemala as they conclude play in Group A and a chance to advance to the playoffs.