By TENAJH SWEETING

Tribune Sports Reporter

tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas’ trio of Jerald Carroll, Jackson Mactaggart and William McCartney finished fourth at the World Junior Tennis (WJT) Junior Davis Cup/Junior Billie Jean King Cup North, Central American and Caribbean Final Qualifying Tournament in Orlando, Florida, over the weekend.

Despite not advancing to the Junior Davis Cup Finals, Team Bahamas ended the qualifiers on a high note, securing a 2-1 victory over Mexico on Friday at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Campus.

Mactaggart delivered a loss to Mexico’s Guillermo Antonio Narcio Vasquez in an intense three-set thriller. The Bahamas got the edge 6-3 in the first set. Vasquez retaliated in the second set and knocked off Mactaggart 3-6. However, in the final set of three, Mactaggart gave Team Bahamas a boost, winning 6-4 against his opponent.

Carroll went head- to-head with Mexican Mauricio Schtulman Gasca in singles competition. The former fought hard but fell to Mexico 4-6 in the open- ing set. In set two, Gasca downed Carroll 2-6 to tie the matches at one apiece.

The doubles would decide The Bahamas’ fate and Carroll along with Mactaggart rose to the occasion. The duo claimed set one 6-4 but then fell 2-6 to Gasca and Vasquez.

In the end, The Bahamas prevailed 10-7 to take the match 2-1 overall.

Although the team came up short, team captain Phillip Major Jr was proud of their efforts in the Junior Davis Cup Final Qualifying

Tournament.

“We definitely ended on a high note. The boys got better each match. We barely missed the cut to make it to the finals in Spain by a few sets.

“It is amazing to see that they are right there with those guys. The Bahamas’ under-16 Junior Davis Cup team has sent a message to the world because now, when the world hears about that tie, they have to mention that The Bahamas was in contention to go to Spain. Everyday they got better and the camaraderie with those kids is unbelievable. They have a lot of history together and they all played their roles to the best of their ability. It was an honour for me to be a part of such a dynamic team and it was great,” Major said.

He added that Team Bahamas faced some obstacles ahead of the competition, which included being the last team to arrive and not knowing what type of court they would be playing on, but were able to overcome them.

“I think they got a little more comfortable on the surface they were playing on. They got better everyday but I feel like our preparation leading up could have been a lot better and managed better than it was.

“They got better as time went on because they were able to play more matches, spend more time on the clay and find their groove.

“Our team was on par with any of those teams however, our team was having a struggle converting.

“You are only as good as your preparation and that is why, for me, it is a big kudos to those guys. They did the best they could with what was presented to them,” he said.

The Bahamas was locked into a three-way tie with Mexico and Canada but came just a few sets short of advancing to the Junior Davis Cup Finals scheduled for November.

Major hopes that The Bahamas’ experience in the competition can be used as a stepping stone in the tennis community.

“The results that they were able to produce shows how much gifts we have in the tennis community and in The Bahamas.

“I am so proud of those kids for doing what they did and opening the eyes of not only me but hopefully other people in the world.

“Hopefully, moving forward we can continue this momentum to assist not only these kids but other kids that are up and coming. This is a stepping stone for tennis in The Bahamas,” he said.

Mexico and the United States of America advanced to the Junior Davis Cup Finals scheduled for November.