The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING 

Tribune Sports Reporter 

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas’ 2024 Billie Jean King Cup quartet of veterans Sydney Clarke, Simone Pratt, Danielle Thompson and newcomer Tatyana Madu made their mark in the opening tie of the Americas Group III in Tacarigua, Trinidad & Tobago.

Competing out of Pool A, The Bahamas squared off against Antigua and Barbuda yesterday and prevailed with a dominant 3-0 victory at the National Racquet Centre.

Team head coach Kim O’Kelley, who is also a former BJKC player, was impressed to see the ladies execute what they have practiced before the trip.

“I think each player did a fantastic job by putting everything into the match that we practiced. Even with them doing the hand signals in the doubles,” coach O’Kelley said.

University of Alabama at Birmingham graduate Clarke was up first in singles competition. She went head-to-head with Janae George-Alexander of Antigua and Barbuda.

The BJKC seasoned player knocked off George-Alexander 6-0 in set one and had an identical result in set two.

It took her less than 50 minutes to give The Bahamas a 1-0 advantage in the tournament opener.

The reigning Giorgio Baldacci Open National champion was matched up against Sibley Charles in match two.

She outlasted her opponent 6-0 in the initial set. Charles managed to score one point in the following set but Pratt came away on top 6-1 in 44 minutes played.

With a 2-0 lead on Antigua and Barbuda, it was up to Thompson and first-timer Madu to bring it home for The Bahamas.

The veteran and new- comer duo paid dividends versus Jolie George-Alexander and Sydney Kentish.

The Bahamian duo shut them down 6-2, 6-0 to emerge with a clean sweep on day one of competition.

Coach O’Kelley was not surprised to see Madu perform well in her BJKC debut.

“In the two days of practice that Tatyana has played with the team, she has learned so much, especially about doubles tactics like using hand signals and body positioning. She has grown to a higher level quickly,” she said.

Following the dominant opening day performance, The Bahamas has a 1-0 win/loss record along with Jamaica in the Pool A Nations standings.

Antigua and Barbuda along with Trinidad & Tobago have a 0-1 record to start.

Next up will be the host nation today as pool play continues.

The head coach said the message to the ladies remains the same going into today’s match.

“It is the same message. We are playing ‘the ball’ and not the player or the country. The focus is on the 2.7 inch ball. Doing this helps to eliminate the nerves and the emotions of everything. This is what we will do with all of the matches,” she said.

The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association congratulated the team on their first win and wished them many more strong performances in their quest to advance to the next group.

The top two nations in Americas Group III will be promoted to Americas Group II. Competition wraps up on August 10.