The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JACOBI Bain, the rising teenage sensation, continues to make headlines on the International Tennis Federation’s Junior Circuit.

Over the weekend, the 13-year-old moved up to the under-16 boys’ singles division where he advanced all the way to the final as the number two seed, losing to the top ranked David Ojeda-Fortgua in the Goblin Cup Level 6 at the Logwood Athletic Club in Sarasota, Florida.

Bain, the winner of his previous three matches in the tournament in two straight sets, went the distance before losing 1-6, 7-6 (4) and 10-4 in the tiebreaker to Ojeda-Fortgua.

Doru Murariu, who coaches Bain at the Players Fitness Institute in Bradenton, Florida, said he was quite pleased with the Bahamian performance.

“In the final, he played a brilliant first set against a guy who is already 16. Jacobi is just 13,” Murariu stressed. “In the second set, he had a lot of chances, but he didn’t use the momentum he had. He missed a few easy shots at 5-3 in the second. He played a very good set in the first set and could have finished off his opponent in the second set.”

As they battled it out at the end, Murariu said Bain just simply got away from his game as Ojeda-Fortgua turned it up another notch to pull off the win.

“He made some wrong decisions and went for it a little too much. In a way I liked it because it’s a new way for him to play,” Murariu pointed out. “But at 5-6, he came back to 6-6, but lost it in the tiebreaker because the guy came up with winners.

“Then in the super tiebreaker, Jacobi was 5-1 up and 8-5, but he eventually lost the set. But he lost for the first time in a match being the bull striker. When he first came from the Bahamas, he was a defensive player, now he’s taking the lead of the game. You go for a lot when you are the bull striker. Sure you will make a few mistakes, but it’s good for us because now I can make him an aggressive baseliner.”

In the first three matches that Bain played, he won 6-1, 6-0 over Michael Scarlett in the round of 16, 6-2, 6-1 over Alexandriu Bucerescu in the quarter-final and 7-6 (5), 6-1 to No.4 seed Phillip Dell in the semi-final.

“Jacobi was not 100 per cent challenged in the first two matches that he played because he’s 100 per cent much better. First round matches are always not very challenging, especially if you are a seed, but he implemented better than what we worked on,” Murariu said.

“The racket speed increased and his court coverage is a lot better, especially from side to side. What he needs to do is to pay more attention on his serve. We worked on a few elements on the serve, but the way he played, I suggest that we move him to play 18s here in the (United) States because he’s very strong.”

As for his semi-final match, Murariu said it was much more difficult because his opponent was younger and posed more of a challenge than his previous two competitors.

“In the first set, he was surprised that the guy was keeping up with him,” Murariu said. “He thought he didn’t need to play with all of his power, but in the second play, he took him more serious and he won in 6-1.”

Bain’s father, Bradley Bain, said he’s more than thrilled with his son’s progress.

“We have a plan for him for the next 3-4 years in terms of what he needs to do and where he needs to be in his development,” Bain said. “Next year, he will be turning 14 so that will be crucial for him to get his skill set together. He needs to have all of the tools to play at a high level.

“But because of his success at the under-16, he will be playing his first ITF under-18 here at the Goombay Bowl (in December). Leading up to that, we will put him in a few more under-18 events in Florida. Keep in mind that he’s only 13, but he can play at that high level. He hit the ball exceptionally well. It’s more about the experience.”

In two weeks, Bain will return to action, but as he progresses through the rest of the year, he will be preparing to play up in the 18s for more exposure and experience. But the elder Bain said his son would also play in the under-14 in both the Orange Bowl and the Lil Mo Tournaments in Florida before he returns home.