T&T chances of qualifying to the main round of the Junior Davis Cup North Central America and Caribbean Pre-Qualifying Boys Tournament were dashed after a 0-3 loss to Costa Rica in Santa Tecla, El Salvador, yesterday.
Local tennis player Kyle Kerry was beaten 4-6, 2-6 by Luca Lo Nardo while Kamran Mc Intosh-Ross went under to his Central American opponent Christian Wnstead 3-6, 2-6, before the T&T pair of Mc Intosh-Ross and Ebolum Nwokolo suffered a 4-6, 6-7 (7-4) loss in the doubles.
Today, in the fifth to eighth playoffs, the T&T boys will come up against Guatemala, which went under to top-ranked Barbados, 1-2 in their quarterfinal yesterday.
Dominican Republic faces El Salvador II and Barbados tackles Costa Rica in the other two top eight matches today.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs yesterday confirmed in a release that the Tennis Association of T&T (TennisTT) received 100 per cent of the funding requested in the amount of $148,660.83, toward this country’s participation at the tournaments. The funding covers airfare, accommodation, meals, ground transportation and medical support for the team.
During the brief handover ceremony held at the Ministry’s Head Office, acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Farook Hosein reinforced the Ministry’s commitment to total participation in sport, especially that of youth participation in sport. He also indicated that it is always encouraging to see young athletes perform at the elite and sub-elite levels, which bodes well for the future of tennis.
Tennis TT executive member Jermille Danclar, who was on hand to collect the cheque.