NASSAU, BAHAMAS- Coming off a tournament in which The Bahamas fell short of advancing to the main draw of the Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas for the Americas, the country’s Junior Fed Cup team is ready to take its swing at qualifying.
In Junior Davis Cup play, The Bahamas fell to Suriname, 2-1, in a pivotal match for advancement. With that tough loss, the country fell out of contention for a spot in the main draw and was relegated to ninth to 16th placement matches.
Coach Jared Turnquest simply stated afterwards that they had their opportunities to win but couldn’t capitalize on those opportunities.
Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup are international team competitions for boys and girls in the 16-and-under age category. In Junior Davis Cup last weekend, The Bahamas was represented by Dentry Mortimer Jr. and Anthony Burrows.
The Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas for the Americas region gets underway this Sunday in San Salvador, El Salvador. The three-member team of Peyton Anderson, Kinza Johnson and Kaylee Kanuka will represent The Bahamas. The trio will be coached by Chelsi Russell, who was recently certified as an International Tennis Federation (ITF) Level 2 Coach in Valencia, Spain.
A total of 17 countries are playing in this regional qualifier, inclusive of Aruba, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, The Bahamas, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, host country El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The top two nations will advance to the final for this region, set to be played in Canada later this year. Other regional finals will occur in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America.
The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) has sent out a statement expressing well-wishes to the team as they prepare to represent The Bahamas in junior tennis internationally.
Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas were launched by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in 1985 as the 16-and-under World Youth Cup, and rebranded in 2002. BNP Paribas has been title sponsor of the Junior Davis Cup since 2002, before going on to sponsor Junior Fed Cup in 2005.
