NIGEL SIMON
nigel.simon@guardian.co.tt
The second-ranked T&T team of Kale Dalla Costa, Zachery Byng, and Jordell Chapman stormed into the main draw semifinals of the North/Central America and Caribbean Pre-Qualifying Tournament for the Junior Davis Cup in Guatemala City, against unseeded host Guatemala after breezing past Suriname 3-0 in their final three-team Group B round-robin qualifier yesterday.
Following a 3-0 over Aruba in their opener on Monday, the T&T boys had a day off on Tuesday before returning to action with Chapman beating Tristan Verkuijl 6-2, 6-1 and Dalla Costa whipping Laurence King 6-1, 6-1 before Dalla Costa paired with Byng to complete the sweep via their 6-2, 6-1 defeat of Verkuijl and Jair Akaamba in the Doubles.
The semifinal opponents for the Kino Francis-coached T&T team, Guatemala, will also enter the tie with an unbeaten record after they topped Group C with 3-0 sweeps of both Honduras and Panama. T&T will meet the Guatemalans tomorrow.
On Monday, T&T defeated Aruba 3-0 with Byng rallying for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Nishentel Meyers, Dalla Costa defeating Jay Wernet 6-3, 6-, 1and Dalla Costa paired with Chapman winning the Doubles, against Meyers and Kishuan Rua 6-3, 6-0, and on Tuesday, the Arubans redeemed themselves with a 2-1 triumph against Suriname.
In the other semifinal, Group A winners, Puerto Rico who had wins against El Salvador and the US Virgin Islands, both by 3-0 scorelines will meet the winner of the lone quarterfinal tie between Group D table-toppers Bahamas, and Group E victors’ Dominican Republic/Costa Rica.
Puerto Rico ends T&T Billie Jean King Cup perfect start
T&T’s third-ranked girls’ team of Cameron Wong, Em-Miryam Campbell-Smith, and Jordane Dookie went under to Puerto Rico 1-2 in their Group D decider of the Junior Billie Jean King Cup to finish in second spot in their three-team pool with a 1-1 record.
Winners over Curacao by a 3-0 margin in the tournament curtain-raiser on Monday, T&T was confident of securing a second win from as many pool matches.
However, it was not the case as Wong was beaten 2-6, 2-6 by Victoria Cajigas and Dookie suffered a 4-6, 1-6 loss to Lauren Kettlewell before Dookie and Wong won the Doubles rubber 7-5, 2-6, 10-7 over Kettlewell and Aurora Lugo as T&T ended second in the group to set up a quarterfinal clashwith a 3-0 record to set up a quarterfinal clash with Costa Rica, who won both their Group A matches, 3-0 against El Salvador, and Suriname.
In their opener on Monday, Wong got T&T off to the perfect winning 6-2, 6-1 against Gianni Martis while Dookie spanked Izza De Iannoi, 6-1, 6-1, to seal an unassailable 2-0 lead for T&T ahead of the doubles contest which Campbell-Smith and Dookie won 6-0, 6-1 over De Iannoi and Estafania Vivar.
And on Tuesday, Puerto Rico’s Cajigas, Kettlewell, and Lugo warmed up for their clash today with T&T with a similar 3-0 defeat of Curacao.
The winner of the T&T/Costa Rica last-eight clash will meet the winner of the clash between Honduras and St Lucia while in the other quarterfinals, Puerto Rico meets El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic plays Guatemala.
The four third-placed teams in Suriname, Bahamas, Jamaica, and Curacao will contest the ninth to 12th semifinals.