By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Team Bahamas stayed undefeated with a 3-0 sweep over Suriname on day two of the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup in Santa Tecla, El Salvador.

In their singles matches, number two seeded player Simone Pratt swept her opponent, Faith Bab, in another whitewashing 6-0, 6-0 win, while Sydney Clarke, playing as the top seed, won her match 6-2, 6-1 over Anouk Ma-Ajong.

And in the doubles, Clarke and Jalisa Clarke, making her Billie Jean King Cup debut, teamed up to pull off a 6-3, 6-0 decision over Ma-Ajong and Kalya Currie to complete the deal.

Pratt called it an exceptional performance by Team Bahamas.

“I played great, kept my mistakes to a minimum and really went out there and took charge,” said Pratt, the oldest playing member of the team. 

“Sydney, who played the number one singles, did well as well and Jalisa and Sydney played doubles and I think they did a very good job. It was pretty quick. They played well. 

Clarke, holding her own as the top seeded player for Team Bahamas, said she’s proud of the way she performed in her second singles win.

“I had some moments where it was a little up and down just like yesterday but, for the most part, I was able to lock in when it really counted,” she said. 

“My serves were great. I’m proud of myself because that’s what I’ve been working on recently, so I’m really proud of how I’ve been serving.”

In the doubles, Clarke said she was thrilled to team up with Clarke in securing their win.

“As a first team member, she was very teachable,” said Syndey Clarke of Jalisa Clarke. “She was very open to tips and criticism. We just really gelled well together. I enjoyed playing with her and I hope we can play together again.”

Jalisa Clarke, the rookie on the team, said it was a blessing for her to have gotten the opportunity to compete in the doubles match with Sydney Clarke.

“The chemistry was there, the energy was there. Everything was just right today,” said Clarke, a resident of Grand Bahama. “Hopefully we can take on Jamaica and do the same thing. I’m looking forward to it.”

With their 2-0 record after beating Trinidad & Tobago in their opening match on Tuesday, Team Bahamas will close out pool play against Jamaica.

Kim O’Kelley, who captains the team that also includes Saphirre Ferguson, said she couldn’t ask for a better performance than what she got from the players yesterday.

“Sydney and Simone played incredible,” said O’Kelley, a former member of the Fed Cup team, a name that was previously given for the most prestigious team competition in the world for women’s tennis. “Simone played two matches in a row where she won 6-0, 6-0. She just made it look easy. Simone played an awesome match. In her match, Syndye just played the right shots at the right time. She had a very good match.”

 In the doubles, O’Kelley said she wanted Jalisa Clarke to get the experience playing with a veteran, who could help to pull her along in the match, using signs and tactics.

Today, Cartwright said the team will be tested against Jamaica, whose top seeded player is ranked about 685 in the world by the ITF, but she noticed their players are a little erratic.

“They are very, very emotional, so that’s one of the tactics that we hope to use against them,” O’Kel;ley said. “Hopefully it will work in our favor and we can get the advantage over them.”