Bermuda's young tennis hopefuls faced a daunting opening test at the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup NAMCAM Pre-Qualifying Tournament, falling to a clinical Dominican Republic side in their first Under-16 Boys Round Robin fixture.
Competing in Group 1 at the high-altitude clay courts of Guatemala, the Bermudian trio found the transition to the technical surface a significant challenge against a seasoned Dominican squad. The tone for the tie was set in the opening singles match, where Jaden Jones struggled to find his rhythm against Daniel Ramirez. Despite flashes of resilience, Jones went down in straight sets 6-1, 6-3, as Ramirez secured the early lead for his nation.
The deficit was doubled in the second singles rubber as Michael Collins faced off against Miguel Baquero. Collins battled hard through a series of grueling baseline exchanges, but Baquero’s consistency on the red dirt proved decisive, as he claimed a 6-2, 6-1 victory to ensure the Dominican Republic took an unassailable 2–0 lead in the tie.
Bermuda looked to salvage a point in the concluding doubles match, with Collins and Jones teaming up to face the formidable pairing of Baquero and Ramirez. However, the Dominican duo maintained their dominance at the net, closing out a 6-2, 6-2 win to complete a comprehensive 3–0 sweep.
The Bermudian squad, led by veteran coach Brent Smith, must now regroup quickly as they look to keep their qualification hopes alive in the remaining group matches. With the tournament serving as the primary gateway to the final qualifying rounds in Canada this April, the young stars will be targeting a bounce-back performance in their next scheduled rubber.
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