Bermuda’s youngsters overwhelmed
Bermuda’s under-14 girls came crashing to earth at the North, Central American and Caribbean pre-qualifier for the ITF World Junior Championships in El Salvador yesterday.
The team of Kaylah Ming, Imani Phillips and Kaila Harvey suffered a first loss of the tournament after losing their best-of-three series with hosts El Salvador 3-0.
Harvey, Bermuda’s No 2 player, lost the opening singles match 6-0, 6-0 to Ana Sofia Segura.
The host side then clinched the group D match after Bermuda’s No 1, Ming, lost against Gabriela Tevez by the same margin in a game lasting 45 minutes.
El Salvador then recorded the sweep after Harvey and Ming lost to Tevez and Kathya Pacheco in a doubles match that also lasted less than an hour.
Bermuda’s girls got the tournament off to a flyer after handing Panama a 2-1 defeat on Monday.
Meanwhile, Bermuda’s boys team of Trey Mallory, Moziah Selassie and Tego Bean slumped to their second successive defeat after they were swept 3-0 by Dominican Republic.
Mallory lost the opening singles match 6-0, 6-1 against Yeudi Villar.
Bermuda’s opponents then clinched the group C match after Bean lost 6-0, 6-0 to Nick Hardt in the remaining singles contest.
With nothing left to play for other than pride, Bean and Selassie lost the doubles match to Johan Castillo and Hardt 6-2, 6-2.
Bermuda’s boys were beaten 2-1 by Honduras in their first match on Monday.
The top girls’ and boys’ teams in El Salvador will progress to the final qualifying event to be held in Montreal in May.