The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

Bahamians Tatyana Madu and Patrick Mactaggart secured the singles titles at the U-14 Junkanoo Bowl Finals at the National Tennis Centre (NTC) yesterday.

The Central American and Caribbean Tennis Confederation (COTECC) event capped off with doubles and singles action.

The doubles champion honours went to the duo of Dimitri Kirton and Curaçao’s Brandon Bridgewater for the boys’ match.

Meanwhile, Madu teamed up with her fellow opponent Makeda Bain to collectively win the doubles trophy.

On Wednesday morning, Mactaggart, the second ranked singles competitor, upset the number one ranked Kirton in consecutive sets in the boys’ singles finals. Despite being ranked one place behind Kirton, Mactaggart represented The Bahamas well with an identical 6-3 win in the first and second set.

The weather definitely played a factor in the matches at the NTC on Wednesday which Mactaggart noted as he talked about his finals victory.

“The conditions were super tough because it was windy and the ball was going all over the place but overall I think I played well and I am looking forward to playing in the tournament next year,” the singles champion said.

Although Mactaggart got the edge in the singles event, Barbados’ Kirton along with Bridgwater got the last laugh in the doubles finals.

The tandem dropped Mactaggart and Alec Hooper in two straight sets. They cruised to a victory in the opening set 6-3.

Set two was too close to call at some moments between the two teams.

Despite being pushed to the limits by their opponents, Kirton and Bridgewater snubbed

Mactaggart and Hooper 7-6(6) in the final set for the doubles title. Both had friendly rivalries with Mactaggart as he handed them both losses in the singles matchups.

“It was good and felt great to get revenge and win the doubles. The experience was fun and I loved the energy of the competitors,” Kirton said.

His teammate was equally as grateful to earn a win against Mactaggart.

“I lost to Mactaggart in the singles semifinals so it felt good to take revenge and get the comeback win.

“It was a really nice experience, very nice courts, and the people were really nice even at the hotels,” Bridgewater said.

The number one ranked Madu knocked off Trinidad and Tobago’s Bain in straight sets to earn one of her two titles on the final day. She made it look easy in the first set and won 6-0.

The Grand Bahama native then followed that performance with a 6-3 win in set two to wrap up the girls finals.

The 14-year-old had to make some adjustments to her game due to strong winds but still remained focused on the prize.

“I had to change my plan, stay consistent and keep in mind that the wind is blowing from the north side so I had to hit differently. I thought I played really well, succeeded and won,” she said.

She now has to make room for two new trophies after the U14 Junkanoo Bowl which she is excited about.

“It feels great. I have not done this in a long time but I am just glad I ended off my under-14 year with a double win,” she said.

The girls’ doubles finals was must watch action when fellow competitors Bain and Madu came together to face Curaçao’s Keziah Fluonia and the host country’s Briana Houlgrave.

The tightly-contested two sets saw Houlgrave and Fluonia take set one 7-6(5).

Bain and Madu then rebounded and persevered in set two for a 7-6(6) win. In the 10-point tiebreaker the tandem emerged on top 10-4.

The doubles winners were elated to collect a hard-fought victory.

“We played against each other so we had to switch our mindsets when we teamed up. We had to work together with our strengths and weaknesses to beat the other team,” Madu said.

“I enjoyed it because I reached the finals and overall it was a good experience,” Bain said.

The U14 Junkanoo Bowl Tournament is the last event for the juniors this year and was sponsored by Custom Computers.