By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

It took Sydney Clarke two sets, while Denali Nottage needed three hard-fought sets to earn the ladies and men’s titles at the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s annual Giorgio Baldacci Open Tennis Nationals.

At the end of the shortened three-day tournament because of the limited number of entries, Clarke and Nottage had to withstand the two-hour rain delay in the middle of their matches yesterday at the National Tennis Centre to regain their respective titles.

Clarke dethroned defending champion Simone Pratt to recapture the ladies’ title she last held in 2018 with a 6-3, 6-4 win. Both players also earned another appearance on the Billie Jean King Cup for 2025.

“I feel like all of my hard work paid off. I did a lot of things differently coming into this tournament,” said Clarke, a graduate of the University of Alabama at Arlington, who is now working part-time as a tennis instructor at Baha Mar. 

“So I’m just very happy and very grateful. After I savour the moment for the next two or three days, I know that there will be a target on my back as the new champion.”

Under the rainy conditions, Clarke said she handled herself very well. 

After winning the first set, she cruised to a 2-0 lead in the second set before they had to halt play. Once they resumed play, 23-year-old Clarke went up 4-1 and although Pratt made a dent into the lead, cutting the deficit to 5-4, she got the final break to seal the deal.

“I stayed aggressive and did not allow myself to get distracted,” she stated.

Pratt, a 28-year-old mother of a three-year-old son, said she went out and gave it her best shot.

“This year, I wasn’t 100 percent, but I still came out and tried my best,” said the Grand Bahama native. 

“I started off good, but I was a little shaky, but I started to pick it back up at the end.

“I think I played okay. The rain allowed me to go back to the drawing board and change up my strategy, but Sydney was really on her game today. She played hard enough to win it.” 

Next year, Pratt said she hopes to get an opportunity to play in a few tournaments leading up to the Billie Jean King Cup. She said she is eager to take her game to the next level. 

Clarke said once the BLTA completes the team for the Billie Jean King Cup, they can get in some practice together and build their chemistry so that they can produce some magic at the tournament. 

On the men’s side, Nottage prevailed with a 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3 decision over Michael Major Jr to regain the title he last held in 2022. 

Likewise, both players booked their spots on the Davis Cup team for 2025. “It feels great coming back on home soil and winning the title. I feel great,” said Nottage, who trains and plays professional tennis out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The 20-year-old Grand Bahamian native admitted that the match was “brutal” from the first point to the last because he knew he had his work cut out for him against the 18-year-old Major Jr. 

And even though they had the rain delay and they ended up switching from one court to the next to play under the lights on the stadium court, Nottage said he was prepared to do whatever it took to win.

“You can’t control the elements in a tournament, so you just have to go out there and play,” he insisted.

After they played almost even in the first set, Major Jr came out smoking hot in the second set and broke away from a 1-1 tie to go up 5-2 and he held on for the win. 

But in the third set, Nottage returned the favour as he also pulled away from a 1-1 tie and never looked back. And to cap it off, he will be playing on the Davis Cup team again.

“It’s always a great feeling to be able to represent your country,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Major, home from college where he plays tennis at Howard University, said it was tough.

“Everytime me and Denali play, it’s always rough, it’s a battle. I am happy with the way I played. I can’t say I am angry with the loss. I just have to learn from it,” Major Jr said.

“We always had a good rivalry. From when I was younger, he always used to push me. The last time we played two years ago, he beat me 6-1, 6-1, so to have a battle like this out there, I can’t ask for more.”

In the third and deciding set, Major Jr felt once Nottage went up 4-1, it would be tough for him to bounce back and win it. “I think he stayed solid the whole time. I had my moments where I should have stayed tough, but I had some highs and lows and he was just steady,” Major Jr said.

Despite the loss, Major Jr said he gets to play on the Davis Cup team, which is a plus for him.

The BLTA, headed by president Perry Newton, will make a decision on the final two spots for both teams. It’s not known if there will be another trial to select the players, as has been the case over the past few years. 

Newton and his vice-president Chilean Burrows were on hand to make the presentation of trophies to the winners.

In the consolation matches, Jalisa Clarke captured the ladies’ third place with a straight set win over BreAnn Ferguson and Donte Armbrister was declared the men’s winner with a walk-over against William McCartney.

Newton said they had a pool of nine women who participated and they are looking forward to seeing how well the team comes together for the Billie Jean King Cup.

As for the men, Newton said it was good to see Pratt come through with such a gruelling victory over Major Jr and they will be leading the charge for the Davis Cup team. “I just want to congratulate the winners and the finalists for the work and effort they all put in,” he said. 

“I also want to thank all of the competitors who participated. They are all of different roles our players play, whether they are here locally or in college or on the pro tour,” he said. 

“They all have a role to play in helping to be role models for the up and coming players.

“We are looking forward to January where we will start with our under-14 and under-16 tournaments in the new year. The tournaments never stop. We want to continue to instil high moral ethics and competitive nature in our athletes.”