By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

FOUR players advanced to the 2023 Giorgio Baldacci Open National Tennis Championships yesterday at the National Tennis Centre (NTC), in addition to qualifying to represent The Bahamas at the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup tournaments.

Sydney Clarke, the top seed in women’s singles along with third seed Simone Pratt will go head-to-head in the finals today to be crowned the 2023 national champion in the women’s division.

Additionally, next year both ladies will play on the national team at the Billie Jean King Cup tournament.

Veteran tennis players Rodney Carey Jr and Baker Newman are due for a chess match on the tennis court today as the tournament’s more seasoned players meet in the finals.

The duo will represent Team Bahamas at the Davis Cup tournament.

The battle of the veterans is all set for today after Newman knocked off Howard University’s Michael Major Jr in the semifinals. The former, who was motivated after being sidelined due to illness last year, utilised his experience to drop Major Jr in straight sets.

He ran away with set one 6-2 and followed it up with a score of 6-3 to solidify a spot in the final round.

After being away from the sport briefly, he was happy to qualify for the national team to represent the country and make it to the final stage.

“It is always good to win, I am happy to join the team. It is always good to play against a teammate to push each other and have fun. For me personally it is nice, last time I lost in the semifinals so it feels good to be back in the finals,” he said.

Despite competing in a tough quarterfinals match against Donte Armbrister on Tuesday, the experienced tennis player said he came out ready for his match against Major Jr. “I woke up a little sore but I had a good warm up, took a hot shower, got ready to play and I think I was a little more ready to start than MJ was today. The wind definitely played a factor, it was tough conditions. I think I just was tougher out there and with the third opponent being the wind you just kind of had to use it to your advantage,” he said.

Carey Jr upset the defending champion Denali Nottage to make it back to his first Giorgio Baldacci finals since 2014, which he won. The victory was especially sweet for the former national champion as he was able to avenge last year’s loss to the same opponent in the semifinals. He bested the Freeport native 6-2, 7-6(3).

“I knew it was gonna be a good match because I lost to Denali last year so I was expecting a tough match whereas last year I wasn’t really aware of how well he was playing so I might have underestimated him. This year I knew he was gonna come tough so I was ready for it. I think I came a lot more prepared because I wanted to give it my best shot to make the team,” he said.

With his latest goal now accomplished, he talked about how it felt to get it done and secure a spot in today’s finals.

“This feels good, that is what we are here for to try and represent the country. It is always an honour for me to be able to come out and make the team so I just wanna come out tomorrow and give it my best shot,” he said.

The highly-anticipated match between the 22-year-old Clarke and Takaii Adderley, who hoisted two trophies at the AID Junior Tennis National Championships, ended with the older athlete earning the win in consecutive sets. She blanked Adderley in set one 6-0. In the following set, the junior player regained her footing but it wasn’t enough to stop Clarke who won 6-4 to close it out.

Clarke, who attends the University of Alabama, enjoyed battling it out against a younger opponent.

“It was really great. It’s always great to play against the younger players so I can see where I am at as well. Overall, it was a great match between both of us. My opponent played very well. I think she had a slow start but once she got into it and got used to the weather things started to get interesting. I felt it came down to who would be mentally tough to stick it out at the end,” she said.

The multiple time national team member shared how it felt to once again have the opportunity to represent The Bahamas at the Billie Jean King Cup tournament.

“It is always a great feeling, I am always excited to represent my country any chance I get. I feel honoured every single time and grateful because a lot of people are vying for the spot so I feel very blessed to have this opportunity once again,” she said.

As for her finals matchup against the third seed, she is looking to come out aggressive, place more spin on the ball if the weather is windy and remain true to herself until the end result.

Pratt got to work against the former national champion Elana Mackey, quashing her hopes of repeating at the end of year tournament. Mackey pushed her to the brink in set one but ultimately the third ranked athlete prevailed 7-5 to take it. She followed it up by a 6-3 win to make her second finals appearance since 2012.

She talked about what it took to dethrone the reigning champion on Wednesday.

“It was a little difficult to adjust because it was really windy so I had to move my feet a lot. It was up and down and I literally had to play ugly. I tried to be a little bit more aggressive, open up the court a little bit more and tried to go for my shots,” the finalist said.

Ahead of today’s big match versus Clarke, Pratt is ready to go.

“I am pleased and happy with the result hopefully tomorrow I can play a little bit better. My mindset is to take it one point at a time, try to relax and play my game,” she added.

Due to the Island Luck food giveaway expected to bring traffic congestion near the NTC early this morning, matches will begin at 11:30am.