The Caribbean Pickleball Nations Cup, presented by Butterfield Bank, concluded at the Pickleball Cayman facility in the Cayman Islands, with Bermuda claiming the Open Division title after a dramatic final against the host nation.
Bermuda began their day in the Semi-Finals against Jamaica, securing a convincing 3-0 victory. Sarah Fisher and Imani Phillips started strong with a dominant 15-1 win over Jessica Perez and Savannah Hung in the Women's Doubles. Benjamin Jones and Gavin Manders then defeated Brandon and Joel Azar 15-6 in the Men's Doubles. The match was sealed when Manders and Fisher won the First Mixed Doubles match 15-1 against Joel Azar and Hung.
The final against the Cayman Islands proved to be a much tougher contest. Bermuda faced a 2-0 deficit after losing both the Women's Doubles 11-3, 11-8 to Elena Testori and Zsuzsanna Strommer and the Men's Doubles 11-5, 11-7 to Mark Rawlins and Michael Carse.
However, Bermuda staged a remarkable comeback. Manders and Fisher won a thrilling three-set battle in the First Mixed Doubles match against Testori and Carse 7-11, 11-6, 11-8. Jones and Phillips then levelled the score with a dominant performance in the Second Mixed Doubles, defeating Strommer and Rawlins 11-0, 11-0.
With the scores tied at 2 - 2, the match went to a Dreambreaker. The Dreambreaker format sees one player from each team compete in a singles match, with the score switching every four points until one player reaches 21 and wins by two points. Bermuda held their nerve in the tense decider, winning the Dreambreaker 21-18 to avenge their earlier defeat to the Cayman Islands and claim the championship title.
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