Bermuda endured a tough opening day at the Billie Jean King Cup Americas Group III tournament, falling to a clinical 3-0 defeat against Panama in Santa Tecla, El Salvador.
The four-strong squad of Asia-Leigh Hollis, Alexcie Burrows, Nadhira Durham, and player-captain Shelby Madeiros found the transition to the regional clay courts difficult as the Central American side dominated the opening tie of the week.
Player-captain Shelby Madeiros took to the court first for Bermuda in the opening singles rubber, but found herself on the wrong end of a 6-4, 6-2 scoreline against Michelle Agelvis.
Madeiros pushed her opponent hard in a competitive opening set, but Agelvis ultimately found an extra gear to break clear, wrapping up the contest in an hour and 10 minutes to give Panama the early advantage.
Any hopes of a Bermudian fightback were quickly dashed in the second singles match, where Nadhira Durham came up against an inspired Anna Louise Bjornestad.
Bjornestad put on a clinical display from the baseline, power-playing her way to a 6-2, 6-0 victory in an hour and 11 minutes to secure the overall tie for Panama with a match to spare.
With the tie already decided, Asia-Leigh Hollis and Alexcie Burrows teamed up for the final doubles rubber against Agelvis and Gabriella Leurck.
The Bermudian duo showed flashes of resistance in the opening set but were eventually overpowered by the well-drilled Panamanian pair, going down 6-3, 6-0 in 56 minutes to complete the clean sweep for the favorites.
|
