By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BREZILE Hamilton and Justyn Thompson demonstrated why they are considered one of the top pickleball doubles teams in The Bahamas.

In putting together their best showing so far, the duo went to Florida over the weekend where they teamed up to win the Grey Oaks PickleBall Open Tournament in Naples on Friday. 

However, they got eliminated in the Doubles Troubles Open in Bradenton in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

While the initial tournament was a regular one, the latter was played for money and hence the competition level intensified. 

But both players felt they earned a wealth of experience playing in the atmosphere. 

“It was pretty good. We had a number of teams that played in our bracket, so it was a pretty high level of competition and very intense,” Thompson said. 

“They made us feel so comfortable, especially after they heard our accent and realised that we were actually from The Bahamas. It was a good experience,” he said.

As the only team to represent The Bahamas, Thompson said they felt very good about their performances on Friday because “the players there didn’t think that Bahamians could play the sport so well.

“We had a chance to teach them about our culture. But we found out that most of the players had the opportunity to travel to The Bahamas before, so they kind of knew what we were talking about.”

As for the tournament on Saturday, Thompson said with the money on the line, the level was much higher and they got to the quarterfinal where they lost out to the team that went on to win the tournament.

“We didn’t regret how we played,” he said. “This was the first time we played in a prize money tournament like this, but we learnt a lot about it. We got to network with a lot of players. They invited us to come back, even if it is just to train with them.”

As a duo, Thompson said he wouldn’t play with anyone else than Hamilton. That is the type of relationship and bond they have developed since they started playing the sport two years ago.

“We practice all the time. We do work full time at our jobs, but we force ourselves to practice at least 45 minutes a day so we are used to playing with each other. It’s just chemistry we have developed,” said Thompson, who is a tennis and pickleball professional at Baha Mar.

Hamilton, a tennis and pickleball pro at Albany, concurred, saying that they form a pretty good combination. All they need to do is to work through their game style, especially at the net.

“I think it’s mostly match play for us. It’s a lot more drills and a lot more matches for us to play to get better,” Hamilton said. “It will take a lot of competition and a lot of travel because we don’t have much competition here at home.

“So it’s a lot more playing time for us and playing against teams with different styles. So that will require us playing in a lot more tournaments, especially overseas, even if it’s just here in Florida.”

With a lot more at stake with the prize money up for grabs, Hamilton said they realized how serious the players take their participation in the tournament.

“These guys we played against are playing at least three tournaments every weekend,” Hamoltn said. “But it was a good learning experience for us. Good competition for us.

“We were really proud of how we played against the teams in the tournament that we won and the one we didn’t win. We just have to work on the little things.”

Hamliton said they just have to continue playing more tournaments to be more consistent. He noted that there is a tournament in Harbour Island where they are expected to make an appearance. 

Coming from a tennis backboard, Thompson said they had to learn to slow down the pace in which they play pickleball. But it’s something that they are now getting used to.

Pickleball, a sport that uses a racket or paddle sport played between two or four players to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch-high net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction.