The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

ON day two of the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC), Team Bahamas came up short against Paraguay and dropped two matches to Venezuela.

Following a rainy day one, the team had to finish Wednesday’s suspended matches and play their regularly scheduled games yesterday at the Centro Nacional de Tenis Parque Del Este, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Team Bahamas consists of Sydney Clarke, Simone Pratt, Elana Mackey, Saphirre Ferguson and captain Gillian O’Kelley.

In the Americas Group ll for Pool B, Paraguay and The Bahamas continued where they left off on Wednesday to win 3-0 overall. Clarke resumed play against Leyla Risso Britez down 5-3. Paraguay followed through with their dominance and won the first set 6-3.

Team Bahamas regained composure in the next set, winning 7-5 in a competitive second set.

Risso Britez kept Paraguay’s foot on the gas and ended match two with a 7-5 win in the final set. With The Bahamas already down in an 0-2 hole, doubles action featuring Ferguson and Pratt was next. The duo of Tamara Doldan and Paulina Martinessi Franco dropped their competitors in two sets. The set scores were identical 6-2, 6-2 to give Paraguay the win.

Venezuela trumped Team Bahamas 2-0 on day two with the final match to be played this morning. Mackey was looking to avenge Wednesday’s loss in yesterday’s singles action. However, Sofia Elena Dominguez was determined not to let that happen because she won match one in two sets. Venezuela’s tennis player won comfortably in set one 6-0. Mackey was able to score once in the second set but it was all Dominguez who won 6-1.

Match two featured Vanesa Suarez and Clarke. Suarez advanced to a 3-1 lead early in the initial set of match two and never looked back. She claimed a 6-2 victory over Team Bahamas. Clarke was the first one on the scoreboard in set two as she looked to bounce back. However, Suarez remained focused and won the final set 6-3.

The third match will resume today at 9am. .

The 2023 Billie Jean King Cup will continue until July 29 where two nations will be promoted to Americas Group l and two teams demoted at the conclusion of the tourney.

The Bahamas is playing in Pool B with Venezuela, Paraguay, and Costa Rica. Pool A consists of Ecuador, Honduras, Uruguay, and the host country the Dominican Republic.