Saint Lucia completed their Billie Jean King Cup Americas Group III campaign with a 2-1 victory over Panama on Monday, followed by a 2-1 loss to Uruguay on Tuesday. This phase of the world’s biggest women’s tennis competition is being held in the Salvadoran city of Santa Tecla.
The tie began with Julia d’Auvergne stepping onto court for the first singles match, where she fought hard but came up short against Michelle Agelvis, losing 6-2, 6-0.
But it was soon level again; the island’s most experienced player at this level, Jessica Eudovic delivered a dominant performance in the second singles, defeating Karla Ching 6-2, 6-1.
With everything riding on the decisive doubles rubber, captain Stacey Roheman teamed up with Eudovic, and the pair rose to the occasion. They powered past Panama’s duo of Anna Louise Bjornestad and Liz Marie Calderon 6-2, 6-1, winning 16 first-serve points and sealing the victory for Saint Lucia, which handed the team their first win of the tournament.
“This is a fantastic start for our girls,” read a release from the Saint Lucia Tennis Association. “They showed resilience, composure and determination to fight back after the opening match.”
Against Uruguay on Tuesday, Roheman took on the responsibility of the first singles match, but she was undone 6-1, 6-0 by Josefina Soldo.
Eudovic continued her success at the Billie Jean King Cup when she evened the tie, beating Juliana Rodriguez 7-5, 6-1. It was her seventh BJK win in 12 matches.
But she was not to claim an eighth win, despite a fierce battle in the doubles. Roheman and Eudovic gave it their all, and came from behind to claim the second set, but eventually fell to Rodriguez and Soldo 6-1, 5-7, 10-8.
Saint Lucia ended second in Pool A, and will not advance to the playoffs.
In 2024, Saint Lucia made the Group III Americas final, losing 2-0 to hosts Trinidad & Tobago. The team had previously won 3-0 against Aruba and 3-0 over Bermuda, but lost by the same margin to Costa Rica and El Salvador.
