Thursday, July 9, 2009

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Bahamas set for Guatemala By DAHALIA SMITH ~ NG Sports Reporter ~ dahalia@nasguard.com: A victory by Team Bahamas over Guatemala in their Americas Zone Group II Davis Cup Tie this Independence Day Holiday weekend is imperative in avoiding a relegation to Group III for next year. This is the scenario for Team Bahamas, which will play here on hard courts at the National Tennis Center starting Friday. Representing The Bahamas will be Devin Mullings, Bjorn Munroe, Timothy Neilly, Marvin Rolle and Rodney Carey, and the team is captained by John Farrington. According to Farrington, Mullings and Neilly have been assigned to singles play on Friday, Rolle and Munroe will play in doubles action on Saturday and reverse doubles will be played on Sunday. The draw is set for tonight at 6:30 p.m. The Bahamas will be going up against a Guatemalan team comprised of Cristian Paiz, Julien Uriguen, Sebastian Vidal, Christopher Diaz and Andres Bucaro. That team is captained by Manuel Chavez and trained by Ruben Puerta. Back in March, The Bahamas lost its first round playoff to Paraguay, 4-1, playing on clay court surface. Farrington underlined the cause for the loss against Paraguay and assessed the team's readiness. On Tuesday, while preparing the team for play, he stated that the team was not accustomed to playing on clay courts which played a role in the loss and that hard courts is the preferred surface. Farrington said that the team members are in good condition and the service and ball placement will be key areas. "We are hoping that Bahamians come out in full force to support their home team," said Farrington. For Paraguay the stakes are similar, a win would sustain Group II status. Vidal and the other team members arrived in New Providence earlier this week, to become familiar with the venue. "For the most part we are trying to get used to the conditions of play and are adapting well to the climate. The guys are looking pretty good in time for Friday," noted Vidal. Should The Bahamas win, the country would face the winner between Paraguay and the Dominican Republic in the Group II Final set for September 19-21. Bahamian tennis icon Mark Knowles won't be a part of this team, but in early 2008 he helped Team Bahamas stave off Group III relegation with a 4-1 victory over Venezuela right here at home. Knowles and his German mixed doubles partner Anna-Lena Groenefeld won the Wimbledon Championship this past weekend, 7-5 and 6-3, over the number one seeded team of India's Leander Paes and Cara Black from Zimbabwe. The accomplishment was a historic one for The Bahamas and significant for Knowles who for the past 17 years attempted to win a Wimbledon title. He has now completed the career grand slam, making him one of the few tennis players in the world to win all four major titles. As for this weekend's Tie, play begins at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. Three-day ticket passes for adults are available at $30 each and $15 each for children. One-day passes are available at $15 each for adults and $5 each for children. Wednesday, July 8, 2009