The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Top seed Sydney Clarke and top-ranked male player Jacobi Bain both fell victims to respective southpaw opponents and were eliminated from the International Tennis Federation’s Junkanoo Bowl junior tennis tournament.

Clarke, also the defending champion, suffered a 6-1, 6-1 loss to No.7 seed Sonya Macavei from the United States in the girls’ quarter-final match yesterday at the National Tennis Centre.

Bain, the No.6 seed, fell victim to the top-ranked Alexander Bernard 6-0, 6-1 in a crushing defeat in their boys’ quarter-final match that turned out to be a showdown between two lefties.

Yesterday’s action was delayed at the start because of the rain and was interrupted for doubles that were to be played later as well. They were scheduled to be played later in the day.

Also affected was the main draw play in the 16s, which was a consolation for the younger players who participated in the tournament. The tournament is slated to continue today at 9am and wrap up on Saturday.

Bernard def. Bain

The shorter 15-year-old American established control of the southpaw showdown early by getting a break on serve for a 2-0 lead. He broke again at 4-0 and closed out the first set on another break at 6-0.

In the second set, the taller, slender Bain held serve for a 1-1 tie. That was all he could muster as Bernard got a break at 3-1 and 5-1 before he held for the game, set and match.

“The score was kind of easy, but the points were pretty tough,” was how Bernard summed up the match. “He’s really tricky because he’s got a lot of swings and stuff, so I was just trying to stay patient.

“I knew today wasn’t his best, but it’s like that for everyone at times. I just felt I performed pretty good enough to win.”

On playing another lefty, Bernard said once he established his game pattern, he just tried to be as consistent as he could.

As for the rest of the tournament, Bernard admitted that it is going to be a tough final two days because all of the players left are pretty good. The 16-year-old Bain, who was hoping to be one of them who survived to play at least through the semis, said it was a tough match, but when it counted the most, he didn’t take care of business.

“The guy I played was pretty good overall, so it was a tough match anyway,” he said. “I was inconsistent. I wasn’t keeping balls on the court. I was very inconsistent especially with my backhand.”

Against another lefty, Bain said it was obvious that Bernard was the first he played in an ITF event in a long time, so he needed more time to make the necessary adjustment and he didn’t have it.

“I didn’t play bad necessarily,” he pointed out. “I just needed to be more consistent keeping balls in play. If I was more consistent, it could have been a different outcome today.”

Macavei def. Clarke

The American southpaw managed to take the shorter compact Clarke out of her rhythm from early in the first set and she kept the pressure on throughout the match for one of her biggest victories.

After she went up a break 2-1 to start the first set, the 15-year-old Macavei from Cincinnati, Ohio broke again at 4-1 and closed it out with another at 6-1.

Nothing much changed in the second set as Macavei got a break at 3-1 and 5-1. Then in the seventh and final game, she got an ace at 40-0 and smashed an overhead volley to hold serve for the win.

“It was very different from the other matches (I played),” Macavei said. “The first round I played against another girl from the Bahamas, but Sydney was a little different so I had to change up my game a little.”

The interruption of the rain didn’t allow us to find out after her match who she will play in today’s semi-finals. But Macavei said she’s not certain about it. She stressed that she has to play somebody, so she just has to be ready.

Clarke, the top Bahamian junior female player, would have liked to play in another final of her final ITF Junior Tournament at home. But she acknowledged that she wasn’t prepared as she should have. “The match was okay. I didn’t play as well as I should have, but I gave it my best. It just wasn’t my day,” Clarke said.

Not that Macavei was a lefty made that much of a difference. Clarke said she just didn’t play as smart as she should have against the southpaw. “She used her backhand a lot and I just kept hitting to her strength,” said Clarke, who mixed it up a lot by playing a rally game at the net at times. “I was so nervous I couldn’t keep the ball on the court. I made so many errors. She made her shots and I just missed too many.”

Clarke, however, said she was disappointed that she couldn’t give her fans a lot more to cheer for. “I want to thank them for their support,” she stated. “I wanted to win, but it just wasn’t there today.”

Clarke, 17, still has until December to complete her junior career before she branches out to the senior ranks and hopefully as a professional if she doesn’t decide to go to college.