Davis Cup men swept aside by Guatemala 3-0

T&T’s Davis Cup team succumbed to their first defeat in the Americas Zone Group IV of the Davis Cup Tournament, currently taking place at the National Racquet Centre in Orange Grove, Tacarigua.

The usually dependable Kamran McIntosh-Ross lost his first game in seven Davis Cup singles contests when he was brushed aside by Rafael Botran Neutze 6-2, 6-2.

Last year, the United States-based McIntosh-Ross delivered an unblemished record in five matches. And on Monday, he made it six singles victories when he disposed of Haiti’s James Adler Germinal 6-3, 7-5. But as he attempted his seventh victory, Botran stopped him in his tracks with identical 6-2 results to set the tone for the Guatemalan triumph over the home team.

Later, Zachary Byng, who made his debut at the Davis Cup in a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 loss to Haiti in the doubles on Monday, was handed the responsibility in the first singles rubber against Pablo Francesco Cordova, but he could not stop the Guatemalan from securing victory 6-3, 6-2 to confirm their triumph in the match.

National coach Dunstan Denoon opted to use the same two players (Byng and McIntosh-Ross) for the doubles. Still, they drew blanks up against the pair of Juan Sebastian Dominguez and Kaeri Hernandez Mariona, who prevailed 6-4, 6-2.

Also in Pool A, the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) swept aside St Lucia 3-0 for their second win of the tournament. A day after defeating Guatemala, the USVI top singles player, Yared Alfred, snatched the early advantage with a 7-6(4), 6-1 triumph over Jordan Hunte in the first singles.

In the second match, Jan Neuburger Higby got the better of Akeem Gustave in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1, to hand the USVI the win. However, they made sure of a clean sweep when the pair of Higby and Alfred whipped Kevin Deligny and Maxx Williams 6-2, 6-3 in the doubles.

In Pool B, Cuba also got their second win by edging Suriname 2-1. The pair of Alberto Gonzalez and Denilson Martinez sealed the Cuba win in the doubles with a 6-3, 6-1 triumph over the Suriname duo of Yigal Bergen and Joshio Loor in the doubles, after the score had been 1-1 from a win and loss record in the earlier singles.

The Cubans opened the encounter with a 6-2, 6-2 win for Martinez over Loor in the first singles match that handed them the lead 1-0. The St Lucians stormed back in the second singles to knot up the scores at 1-1 when Bergen held off Alberto Gonzalez 6-2, 6-3.