The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamian duo of Justyn Thompson and Brezile Hamilton prevailed as champions of the Riverland Pro Pickleball Invitational held over the weekend in Port St Lucie, Florida.

In a dominating fashion, the duo clinched the title with a 15-1 triumph over the team of Domenic Balzano and Mike Frazier after breezing through the semifinal with a 15-7 decision over Chris Erickson and Josh Baldridge.

In round robin play, the Bahamian pair knocked off Jeffery Rowe and Jason Gillespie 15-5 in round one, Jesse Malkin and Chris Clark15-7 in round two, David Mui and Anthony Paolucci 15-8 in round three and Cameron Marchese and Jonathan Arias 15-8 in round four. 

The duo got an invitation from one of the sponsors that took notice of their performances a year ago and was supportive of their development. 

Thompson said once they were able to find the time from work, they began making travel arrangements and they made good use of their return trip to Florida.

"We play with each other all the time so we already have chemistry," Thompson said. "We knew walking into this tournament what to expect due to competing a year ago. 

"We didn’t even make it past the qualifying rounds. However, we were more than equipped this year to go even further and possibly medal."

This was the third tournament victory for Thompson and Hamilton. They won their first tournament in the Cayman Islands in February and in Naples, Florida, in April. But they both admitted that this was just as big a victory in Port St Lucie. "We were pretty much the team to watch and everyone was talking about," Thompson said. "The competition was intense as this was a prize money tournament, but we knew the amount of work we put in while practicing so being pushed over easily was definitely not an option."

Hamilton said the performance on Sunday in the final was superb. "Several of our matches challenged us at key moments, but we were able to stay composed and come out on top," Hamilton said. "Winning a gold medal at Riverland this year was especially meaningful after not securing one last year."

Hamilton said he couldn't ask for a better partner to team up with. 

"Justyn and I have developed exceptional on-court chemistry, and our playing styles complement each other very well," Hamilton said. "I’m extremely proud of our teamwork and grateful to be bringing another gold medal back home."

As a result of our performance, Thompson said they received an offer to be signed by two major pickleball companies, Engage & Gearbox, which would make them the first and only Bahamian players to achieve that feat.

Thompson noted that next year, he plans on hosting clinics and events through his own club Tropical Smash Pickleball, which  has been up and running for several months now and not associated with any association or federation within The Bahamas. 

Tropical Smash is in the process of having its very first open tournament. Updates will be posted on online platforms for those who are interested. 

"The aim is solely developing pickleball through the Bahamian community the right way," Thompson said. "This club was established due to issues several players and coaches were experiencing from certain members of the federation which were unheard and unnoticed. "This resulted in non-involvement from top ranked Bahamian players in this year’s Pickleball World Cup hosted in Fort Lauderdale, USA."

Additionally, Thompson said there was a lack of Bahamian presence in general at the event due to a team selection of 25 players, only 4-5 were actually born and raised Bahamians, which was a serious concern that should not be overlooked as there was an attempt to keep this information undisclosed. 

"This course of action was unfortunate due to this potentially being The Bahamas strongest male and female team being carried to an international competition by far," he stated. 

"The players and coaches are hoping for an immediate change in leadership so that this same approach does not take place in any other international competition in the future."