Clarke to battle Pratt and Newman, takes on Carey
- Simba French
- 4 hrs ago
- 0
The tennis day started with eight players in action for the remaining four spots at the 2023 Giorgio Baldacci Open National Tennis Championships at the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s (BLTA) National Tennis Centre yesterday.
Securing the two spots in the men’s final on a windy day were veteran players Baker Newman and Rodney Carey Jr. Sydney Clarke and Simone Pratt won their semifinal matches on the ladies’ side. Newman and Carey booked the first two spots on the Davis Cup team while Clarke and Pratt booked their spots on the Billie Jean King Cup team.
“I came off a battle after having not played much this year. It was great to see the younger guys play. I think I was more ready to play than Major was today. There was a third opponent which was the wind, and I had to use it to my advantage,” Newman said.
He said he is happy to be back on the team after last playing in 2022, and also glad to be back in the national final.
Carey took down defending champion Denali Nottage in his semifinal match. The 31-year-old got a 6-3 first set victory but needed a tiebreaker to win the second set, taking it 7-6 (7-2).
“I knew it was going to be a good match,” Carey said. “I lost to him last year and I was expecting a tough match. The biggest difference was that last year, I wasn’t aware of how well he was playing so I underestimated him but this year I knew he was going to come tough. I was ready for him. I came prepared this year because I wanted to make sure I gave it my best shot to make the team.”
Carey said he is happy to make the team after not being on the team since 2015. He said he is looking forward to playing Newman in the final.
Clarke went up against teenager Takaii Adderley. Clarke got an easy 6-1 win in the first set but Adderley put up some resistance in the second set. It was not enough as Clarke won the second set 6-4 to take the match.
“It is great to go up against younger players and it was a great match. She played very well. She had a slow start but once she got into it, the match got interesting. I felt it came down to who was going to be mentally strong and tough enough to stick it out in the end,” said Clarke.
She said she is looking to stay true to herself in today’s final. The 22-year-old will be making her sixth appearance in the Billie Jean King Cup tournament. She said it is something she is blessed with.
As expected, Pratt had a tough time against defending champion Elana Mackey. In the first set, Pratt won 7-5 and then got a 6-3 victory in the second set to win the match.
“I had to move my feet a lot. It was up and down because of the weather and I had to play ugly. I tried to be more aggressive in the second set and open up the court so I could get my shots in,” she said.
Pratt said she is looking to play better in the final, taking it one point at a time. She said she is happy to be back on the Billie Jean King Cup team, especially as a higher seed.