The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER taking an unblemished record into the final, the Bahamas boys’ under-14 team fell a little bit short against Guatemala in the Pre- Qualifying World Junior Tennis tournament in El Salvador.

Coming off an impressive 2-1 win over the Dominican Republic in their semi-final playoff game on Friday, the team, coached by Bradley Bain, put in a gallant effort, but it wasn’t enough to prevail over Guatemala.

The Bahamas’ boys ended up in second place out of a field of 13 nations.

William McCartney, playing in the first match of the day, lost 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 40 minutes to Gianluigi Martini, while Jackson Mactaggart played the other single and fell 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-2 in a 2hr:20m marathon three-set thriller to Ronaldo Cotom.

And in the doubles, the pair of Mactaggart and Jerald Carroll won 6-4, 6-3 over Martini and Mateo Herrarte in 1hr:10m.

The girls, coached by Paula Whitfield, finished in sixth place after losing 3-0 to Honduras on Friday.

In that match, Sarai Clarke dropped a 7-5, 6-0 decision to Arianna Kafati and Breann Ferguson lost to Alyssa Sucrovich 6-2, 7-6 (8), both in 1hr:30m.

Clarke and Ferguson teamed up in doubles, but they lost 7-5, 6-1 to the team of Sucrovich and Ana Belen Alvarado in 1hr:22m. The Bahamas’ girls finished sixth out of a field of nine countries.

For the boys’ team, it was the second time that they have advanced to the final match.

The first time came in 2016 when Artie Johnson coached the team of Jacobi Bain, Denali Nottage and Kofi Bain to the final.

This year’s team won Group C before they advanced to the playoffs.

Bain said it was their hope of going all the way and becoming the first Bahamian team to earn a berth into the World Tennis Finals in Mexico in April.

“We were right in the match,” Bain said.

“The kids were frustrated and we didn’t stick with the game plan and when they started making mistakes, it was all downhill.”

Bain noted that McCartney opened up a 5-2 lead in the first set of his match, but couldn’t close the door.

He noted that he tried to win the match rather than taking the next point.

“You can’t get to the next match before the match is over,” Bain pointed out.

“You have to stay there and work your way through each point and remain your focus and remember what got you there and continue to do it.”

After working so hard in the first set, Bain said McCartney just didn’t have the strength to prevail in the second set.

As for Mactaggart, Bain said he was right in the match as well.

“He played well. He won the first set, but in the second set, he was down 5-1 and serving and I told him to just try to break him, but he didn’t and he lost.

“In the third set, he started off holding serve, but after he got break, he didn’t have the energy or the fight to come back. “When you’re up, somehow you find the energy, but when you’re down in a tight match, it’s just hard to come back in a tight match.”

Bain said the doubles team played extremely well and if they had exerted that type of energy in the singles, the outcome would have been reversed and the team could have been preparing for the World Tennis Final.

Despite the loss, Bain said he was pleased with their performances, but he was able to point out the things they all have to work on as they move forward. He said he made his recommendations to the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association.

The BLTA, headed by Perry Newton, congratulated the team on their splendid participation in the tournament in El Salvador.

“We are also appreciative of coaches Bain and Whitfield,” the BLTA said.

“The Bahamas was well represented at this regional event and we are proud of our team. The future of tennis is bright.”