The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association has announced that the team of player/captain Kerrie Cartwright, Danielle Thompson, Sydney Clarke and Sierra Donaldson will represent The Bahamas at the 2019 BNP Paribus Fed Cup.

The quartet will play at the Tennis Club Las Terrazas in Miraflores, Lima, Peru, from April 17-20. The team will work out together at the National Tennis Centre from Monday before they leave on Saturday.

During the tie, The Bahamas will play in one of two pools that will comprise of teams from host Peru, Bolivia, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Panama and Costa Rica.

The winners of the two pools will clash to determine who will advance to Group One in 2020, along with the winner out of the other half of the tie at the National Tennis Center in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Playing out of the Dominican Republic are Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Last year, The Bahamas emerged on top of Pool B with a 3-0 record, having won over Bolivia, Trinidad & Tobago and Bermuda before they lost 2-0 to Ecuador, who got promoted to Group I.

The team comprised of Kerrie Cartwright, Danielle Thompson, Simone Pratt and Sierra Donaldson. They were captained by Marvin Rolle.

Cartwright, who turns 27 on April 11, has been on the Fed Cup team since 2008, playing in six ties. In the 26 matches she participated in, she has compiled a 17-7 win-loss record in singles and 7-6 in doubles.

She’s now playing on the pro circuit after she completed her collegiate career with the Florida State Seminoles in 2015. She is following in the footsteps of her parents Kim O’Kelley and Sean Cartwright, both of whom played on the national team and served as captains in the past.

Thompson, who turned 24 on March 16, was a member of the Fed team since 2013. She has played on two teams and in her six matches was 2-2 in singles and 2-0 in doubles.

Having just completed her collegiate career with the Morgan State Bears while she studied Hospitality Management, Thompson is hoping to pursue the professional ranks.

Clarke, who turned 18 on November 18, played on the Fed Cup team for the first time in 2017. As the country’s top junior player, Clarke went 1-3 in singles and 1-0 in doubles in the four matches she contested.

Donaldson, who turns 19 on June 11, has played on four Fed Cup teams since 2015. While she’s not played in a singles match, she is 1-5 in doubles.

The Bahamas is currently ranked at number 62 with a total of 386.25 points after playing in Fed Cup since 1990. In the 95 ties The Bahamas participated in, we have compiled a 34-60 record and has advanced to Group I several times.