TODAY has got to be one of the most important days in Carlista Mohammed's young life.

The two-time defending Tranquillity Open champion will be celebrating her 18th birthday as well as getting ready to lead Trinidad and Tobago's challenge in the world's premier female team tennis tournament in two days time in Bolivia.

T&T are among 14 countries in American Zone Group II of the Fed Cup, battling from Wednesday until Sunday for the two promotion places in Group I next year.

Mohammed is accompanied by 15-year-olds Raye Ann Sandy and Lee-Anne Lingo.

Mohammed only became the team leader a few days ago when United States-based Olivia Bennett, the highest ranked junior from the Caribbean, withdrew because of a lingering leg injury.

Lingo replaced the 200th-ranked junior in the world, after Sandy had taken the place of fellow Tobagonian Yolande Leacock when the United States-based player pulled out because of injury about a month ago.

The last couple weeks have been very eventul for Mohammed. She reached as far as the under-18 singles semifinals of an International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Tournament for the very first time two weeks ago, but was then forced to retire after falling and injuring her hand after just three games.

The former national champ, who had reached the doubles semifinals of the IBM Junior Championships the week before at home, has now fully recovered from her freak accident and received a tremendous boost last Monday when she discovered that she is now the 473rd-ranked junior in the world. She was ranked 694th a month ago.

Sandy, Lingo and Keneel Teasdale earned T&T a very respectable third place finish in the North, Central American and Caribbean pre-qualifying tournament for the Junior Fed Cup just over a week ago.

Sandy had been crowned national under-18 champ for an unpredented third straight time--with Mohammed and Lingo competing in Barbados--just before that Honduras tournament.

Lingo is is the youngest member of the team, being nine months younger than Sandy. The part-time United States-based player, who has a junior ranking of #1133, played in the No. 1 position on the junior Fed Cup squad.

Former national champion Lennox Francis is acting as captain (coach).

The 14 countries-Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Barbados, Bermuda, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Peru, T&T-will be placed in four round-robin groups and the winners of the groups will then play for promotion.

The draw will be done tomorrow.