By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas opened their 2025 Davis Cup tie with a 2-1 victory over Cuba in their Americas Group VI matchup at the National Racquet Sports Centre in Trinidad and Tobago.

Michael Major Jr prevailed with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over Demilson Martinez to get Team Bahamas started and national champion Denali Nottage followed with a clinching 6-1, 6-4 sweep over Alberto Gonzalez.

However, the duo of Donte Armbrister and Kofi Bowe came up a bit short in their doubles match in three sets 6-4, 3-6, 5-7 to Martinez and Gonzalez, but it didn’t matter. 

The tie was also secured in the singles.

Team captain John Antonas said it was a tough match but the team was resilient and was able to overcome the Cubans to get a jump start in the tie.

“So it was a really tough match. We won both singles and lost the doubles in the third set but won overall against Cuba,” said Spencer, a former national team player and captain for The Bahamas when the island nation played in Zone One.

“Kofi Bowe got injured in the second set of the doubles and still played through the match as best as possible. A really superb performance by our team. We should do well over the next two days before having a break on Thursday.”

Both Major Jr and Nottage, who are playing on their second and third years respectively on the Davis Cup team, were thrilled to have gotten the Bahamas off to a great start. “I had a good match. In the first set, the guy came out striking. He was playing very well,” said the 19-year-old Major Jr, about losing the first set.

“The second set, I got a quick start. I went up 5-0 and won that set 6-2. I knew all I had to do was make a few more balls and make the match a little tougher.”

With his fitness level where he expected it to be, M/ajor Jr said he knew it was only a matter of time that he would wear his opponent down to take the third set and the victory.

Nottage, a 22-year-old native from Grand Bahama, said his match was rather easy for him.

“The first set, I was kind of grooving and then the second set, the guy kind of picked it up,” he said. “I trust my fitness, my game plan and I executed it and I came out with the victory.”

Team Bahamas will be back in action today when they take on Antigua and Barbuda in their second match in Pool B. Also included in their pool are Panama and Suriname. Plying out of Pool A are Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti, St Lucia and the US Virgin Islands.

Following pool play, the promotion play-offs will be as follows with the winner of pool A facing the runner-up in pool B and the runner-up in pool A taking on the winner of pool B.

While the top two teams will be promoted to Zone III next year, the nations finishing third, fourth and fifth in the pools will compete in positional play-offs.

Based on their performances yesterday, both Major Jr and Nottage are confident that The Bahamas stand a good chance of advancing from zone VI and back to III.