John McCarthy
SANTO DOMINGO — The USVI’s under-16 boys tennis team came away with a record fourth-place finish from the International Tennis Federation’s Junior Davis Cup North and Central America and Caribbean pre-qualifying tournament.
The Junior Davis Cup pre-qualifier began Sunday, February 25, and concluded Friday in the Dominican Republic. Some 17 national teams competed.
The U.S. Virgin Islands team was comprised of St. Croix’s Yared Alfred, St. Thomas’ Rohan Nelthropp and St. Croix’s Ozzy Odom, with Albert Richards the team’s head coach.
“Our young men did a great job representing the Virgin Islands,” Richards, a St. Thomas native now coaching in Orlando, Florida, said in a prepared release. “These three players have been our national team for three years in a row and performed well against larger nations who have bigger budgets and better training and tournament schedules.
The members of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ under-16 boys Junior Davis Cup team, which finished fourth out of 17 teams in the International Tennis Federation’s Junior Davis Cup North and Central America and Caribbean pre-qualifier tournament in the Dominican Republic. From left are Ozzy Odum, Yared Alfred, Rohan Nelthropp and head coach Albert Richards.
“Our players are showing that they can compete, and the other nations know who we are. Congratulations to our players. They made history.”
The USVI finished second in its group (Group D), with 2-1 wins over host-team Dominican Republic on Feb. 25 and Barbados on Feb. 26, but a 3-0 loss to group winner Trinidad and Tobago on Feb. 27.
That sent the U.S. Virgin Islands on to the championship round, opening with a 2-0 victory over El Salvador on February 28. However, the USVI suffered losses in its final two matches — to Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 in the semifinals on February 29, then to Guatemala 2-0 in the third-place match on Friday.
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