SPORTS SECTION E
NBA
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016
3-PT Record, Page 8
Roberts advances to 2nd round after big win in Florida By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
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ollegian Justin Roberts, playing directly out of the men’s main draw singles of the Bluewater Bay Pro Circuit Championships, advanced to the second round with his biggest victory so far this year. The University of South Florida junior, currently ranked at 1,242 on the ATP standings, pulled off a 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over 23-year-old No.7 seed American Winston Lin, who is ranked at 873. The Futures Tournament match was played yesterday on the clay courts at the Bluewater Bay Tennis Center in Niceville, Florida. Roberts, who turns 20 on De-
cember 4, is currently the only Bahamian with any ATP points. “It was a good match. I started a little slow and I got broken early,” Roberts told The Tribune after the match. “But I felt like I was playing well, so it was good that I got my chances back. I just stuck with it and eventually I got some opportunities and I capitalised on it and got the win.” Roberts, who said it was a huge win for him, is now
JUSTIN ROBERTS
awaiting his secondround opponent. He is scheduled to play the winner of the first match between American Alex Rybakov and German Pimin Haenle. “I just have to go back to practice and continue to work so hard so that I can give it my best every point I play and see where the results take me,” Roberts said. “But if I can continue to improve the way I have been doing, I know that I can continue to per-
form very well this year.” Rodney Carey also participated in the tournament. He won his first round match in the qualifying round with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Enrique Paya Gonzalez of Spain before he got eliminated in the second round, losing 7-5, 6-4 to American Aleksandar Kovacevic. Carey, who turned 24 on September 23, is still alive in the tournament. He will team up with American Mwendwa Mbithi to play doubles. Their first round opponents will be Americans Patrick Daciek and Dane Webb. Although he has been performing exceptionally well in doubles for USF, Roberts said the coaching staff has only given him the green light to participate in singles in the tournament.
This is Roberts’ second tournament since returning to school after the summer break. He played last month in Birmingham, Alabama, where he lost in the second round in qualifying 7-5, 6-2 to Vasilly Kichigin from Russia. Roberts, however, had an active summer, playing in six tournaments in June and July in Charlottesville, Virginia, Buffalo, New York, Rochester, New York, Saskatoon, Canada, Godfrey, Illinois and Edwardsville, Illinois. “I feel really good. My results have been improving over the last few months,” Roberts said. “I’ve been working really hard so I’m happy to see that it’s kind of paying off. I’m looking forward to good results the rest of the year.”
Young gymnasts ready for Atlantis Crown Invitational THE Atlantis Crown Invitational will be taken to a “new level” this year, with the introduction of two new exciting competitions and a huge increase in the number of international competitors. The annual gymnastics competition, set for December 16-18 at the Atlantis resort, could potentially bring in more than 3,000 athletes, coaches and supporters. Athletes from across the United States, Panama and Canada are all set to take part in the three-day competition. Additionally, about 100 gymnasts from The Bahamas are expected to participate. This year, organisers will introduce the trampoline and tumbling competition. As a result, club participation has increased by 26 per cent. “We are actually shipping down all the trampolines and everything else for the kids to compete so it’s going to be very, very exciting to see. We have 68 clubs represented. Last year we had 54, so we have a definite jump in the attendees for this year’s event,” said invitational organiser Cindy Schrans. “The event is bigger than last year so we’re pretty excited about that. The event keeps growing every year and that is a direct reflection on the hospitality in The Bahamas, the support we get from the Ministry of Tourism and the local organisations and obviously the
NEW LEVEL: Organisers say the Atlantis Crown Invitational, set for the Atlantis resort December 16-18, will include the trampoline and tumbling competitions. hospitality at Atlantis. We couldn’t do this without the partnership.” The special guests this year are Svetlana Boginskay, three-time Olympic champion and Sam Mikulak, 2012 US Olympian. Virginia Kelly, marketing director of sports tourism, noted the increase in competitors. “The Atlantis Crown has proven to be a great addition to our annual
sports tourism calendar. Over the past five years we have seen the number of athletes almost tripled and this year, with the addition of a men’s trampoline and tumbling component, this takes the event to a new level, not to mention the growth impact on the number of room nights and the overall revenue boost. This year we could potentially see 3,000 plus athletes
and visitors.” Explaining her estimate, Kelly said based on experience, nearly all athletes will likely be accompanied by a parent or guardian and another supporter. “It’s like a vacation with a twist,” she said. Tickets can be purchased at the Atlantis box office. For more information, visit www.atlantiscrown. com
XAVION HOPES TO REPRESENT BAHAMAS IN JUDO AT OLYMPICS XAVION Moss is hoping that one day he will get a chance to represent the Bahamas in the sport of judo at the Olympic Games. The Nassauvian recently travelled to Atlanta, Georgia, where he was met by coach Joshua “Black Ice” White. White, a multi-time junior and senior national champion, was joined by Leo White, two-time Olympian and 17-time national champion, as they combined to prepare Moss in a week-long training camp. After the training, they went north to the University of Tennessee where Moss was able to test his new skills at the annual UT Championships. The tournament hosted about
159 competitors and Moss shined bright by winning his division in style, finishing all of the opponents in his age and weight by ippon (which is equal to a knockout in boxing). He also competed in the next age group up and finished third with a win-loss record of 6-1. “To see a young man travel hundreds of miles from home and take full advantage of every workout and every opportunity is amazing. When asked what makes him fight so hard, he responded, ‘I want to make my mom, Ordain Moss, my sensei, my dojo and my country proud,” said a press release. Moss is definitely on the right path to accomplishing those goals.
XAVION MOSS (centre) won his division in style at the University of Tennessee Annual Championships.
FORMAT OF PROPOSED BAHAMAS INTERSCHOOL EQUESTRIAN LEAGUE IS CHANGED
EQUESTRIAN Bahamas announced today that the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew has prompted a change in the initial format of the proposed Bahamas Interschool Equestrian League, or BIEL. Originally encompassing a series of interschool competitions beginning in December, and culminating in a National Championship event in April 2017, the competition format has now been changed for this school year to a single interschool championship event. “The change in format is merely a temporary setback,” said Cathy Ramsingh-Pierre, president of Equestrian Bahamas. “Devastation from Hurricane Matthew has forced the government to re-evaluate its priorities with regard to funding developing school sport activities. “As concerned Bahamians we are very sensitive to the need of our fellow citizens, and to the reality that scarce resources must be allocated appropriately. For this same reason, as a federation we made the decision not to reach out to the private sector for assistance. Ramsingh-Pierre said the goals of BIEL have not changed. “First and foremost, the development of interschool equestrian competition is intended to diversify the athletic opportunities available in Bahamian schools; to act as a springboard to increase national interest in the sport; and to encourage inclusive participation from young athletes in all schools (public and private),” she said. “Secondly, it is intended to introduce our riders to a college competition format, and expose them to opportunities for college scholar-
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