Youth is about to be served.
Barbados’ Davis Cup team will have a baby-faced look about it, as boy wonder Kaipo Marshall and fellow teenaged talent Xavier Lawrence look set to be named for next month’s tie against Colombia.
The five-man squad hasn’t been officially ratified yet, but inside sources revealed the two teenagers are locks to join world no.173 Darian King, seasoned veteran Haydn Lewis and Hampton University’s Matthew Foster-Estwick at the opening-round Group I encounter.
It means the 15-year-old Marshall is set to become the youngest Bajan player to make a senior Davis Cup roster since Duane Williams also did so as a 15-year-old back in 1995.
The decision comes as no major surprise considering the gifted St Michael School student made a big impression at the unofficial trials by reaching the Top 8 Invitational’s semi-finals and going toe to toe with Davis Cup players Adam Hornby and Seanon Williams.
And this was after Marshall won the men’s open national crown less than four months ago.
Yet Lawrence’s selection was even more straightforward, as the 19-year-old Prairie View A&M University sophomore all but earned his spot by toppling both Hornby and Williams in successive matches en route to the Top 8 title.
He made a similarly strong case last season too before ultimately falling in the semi-final rounds of that same tournament to eventual winner Foster-Estwick.
“I think it is a proactive move to put them in the squad since we know Haydn is in his 30s and we can’t wait until he is done to start looking at grooming other players for the future,” said an unnamed source close to the situation.
“I am happy that the team has some fresh blood and I hope we can continue to look for the next Darian King and not get complacent waiting on two men to carry our tennis forever.”
As such, Barbados will field one of its youngest teams to date, as the 20-year-old Foster-Estwick, Lawrence and Marshall are all under the age of 21.
But Foster-Estwick’s inclusion doesn’t appear to be a certainty, with inside sources revealing that the holdup over the team’s ratification is due to an injured wrist that forced him to miss last month’s Top 8 Invitational.
Those concerns over Foster-Estwick’s readiness could leave the door open for either Williams or Hornby to retain their place after both players have seemingly been dropped from the side.
It won’t matter much though, as King and Lewis are expected to do much of the heavy lifting, particularly at a very high Group I level.
The 32-year-old Lewis was typically rested for the opening singles of prior ties due to lingering back issues, but the seasoned southpaw has showed no signs of discomfort over the last two seasons.
And now non-playing captain Damien Applewhaite is likely to deploy his veteran from ball one now that the ties have been shortened from three days to two.
Barbados will begin play against Colombia at the National Tennis Centre on February 2 with both opening singles before concluding the tie the following day with doubles and the reverse singles. (JM)
