Bermuda’s junior Davis Cup stars faced a testing day in Guatemala City as their qualifying campaign shifted into the Under-16 classification rounds. Competing in the 9th to 16th place play-off, the young Bermudian side showed flashes of brilliance but ultimately fell to a narrow 2–1 defeat against the US Virgin Islands.
The tie opened with a three-set marathon that set a high bar for the afternoon. Hasan Khan represented Bermuda in the opening singles rubber against Weston Wagner. After dropping the first set 6-3, Khan displayed immense resolve, clawing back to level the match with a gritty 6-4 second-set victory.
However, Wagner regained his composure in the deciding frame, defeating Khan 10-3 in the tie-break to give the US Virgin Islands the early advantage.
The mountain became steeper in the second singles match as Jaden Jones took to the court against Croix Nelthropp. Despite a competitive opening set where Jones pushed his opponent to the limit, Nelthropp proved too strong in the decisive moments, securing a 7-5, 6-3 victory. The result mathematically secured the overall tie for the US Virgin Islands before the final rubber commenced.
Bermuda did manage to salvage pride and momentum in the concluding doubles match. Hasan Khan returned to the court alongside Michael Collins to face the pairing of Nelthropp and Wagner.
The Bermudian duo demonstrated excellent chemistry and clinical net play, wrapping up a comprehensive 6-4, 6-3 straight-sets win. While not enough to overturn the overall deficit, the victory provided a positive finish to a grueling day of international competition on the red clay.
