The Tribune

By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net    

THE Bahamas’ junior Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) and Davis Cup teams experienced mixed results yesterday at the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup and Jr Davis Cup North/Central America & Caribbean Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The junior Davis Cup team which features Patrick Mactaggart, Alec Hooper and Aiden Ritchie nabbed a 3-0 victory over the US Virgin Islands in yesterday’s matchup. It was their first victory of the competition and they did not drop a single set against USVI.

Head coach Jamal Adderley was pleased with the team’s performance on day three of competition.

“The team’s performance today was a very good one. We pulled out a very tough match in singles with Alec Hooper today which got the ball rolling for us. 

The boys are playing better and better as the tournament goes on and we hope to continue this streak of success in the upcoming days. I am very proud of my team and the way they conduct themselves on court,” he said.

Hooper won the number two singles matchup 6-7, 6-1 and 6-1. Mactaggart cruised to consecutive victories in his matchup 6-0, 6-0.Ritchie and Mactaggart teamed up to dominate the doubles in straight sets 6-3,6-1.

The junior Davis Cup team will take on Bermuda today to compete for positioning.

Coach Adderley said the team must continue to play with intensity and in the moment to keep the momentum going.

“In order to keep this momentum, we must stay in the moment and keep the intensity up and going. We will see who we have tomorrow but overall we are gaining more and more confidence as the tournament goes on,” he said.

The junior BJKC team represented by Tatyana Madu, Sarai Clarke and Briana Houlgrave came up short 2-1 against the Dominican Republic.

Madu knocked off Dominican Cabral Paz in number two singles competition 6-3, 6-2. 

The Dominican Republic’s Julianny de La Cruz knotted the tie at 1-1 with her victory against Clarke in their singles matchup. She prevailed 6-4, 6-3.

The deciding match came down to doubles with Paz and De La Cruz matching up against The Bahamas’ Clarke and Madu. The Dominican duo reigned supreme, winning 6-1, 6-1 in back-to-back sets.

The junior BJKC head coach Larikah Russell offered an analysis of her team’s performance.

“Tatyana executed the game plan well, taking control of the match by keeping the ball deep, exposing Paz’s weaknesses and maintaining consistency throughout. Sarai competed well, staying in rallies and creating opportunities but De La Cruz’s consistency and athleticism proved tough to break down in key moments.

“With a great singles win from Tatyana and Sarai’s competitive showing, we continue to see improvement and adjustments from the team. The experience in doubles highlights key areas to refine moving forward,” she said.

The junior BJKC team will now face Aruba today.

Coach Russell said the goal remains the same-compete hard, execute the game plan and continue to improve.

The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) congratulated both teams and wished them continued success against their next opponents in the competition.