The Jamaica tennis team beat the team from The Bahamas 2-0 in the semi-finals of the 2021 Americas Zone Group Three Men’s Davis Cup Tennis Championship tie match. The victory means that Jamaica will advance to Group Two of the competition at Centro de Alto Rendimiento Fred Maduro Clay Court in Panama City, Panama, on Saturday, July 3, 2021. In a round-robin competition, Jamaica ranked at the top of Pool “C” and The Bahamas was first in Pool “A.” Costa Rica won Pool “B,” and Guatemala ranked as the best second-place team. The victory was good for Jamaica, particularly in the second match which saw Blaise Bicknell registering a three-set win, coming from a set down in a match that went on for two-and-a-quarter hours.
Rowland Phillips, who is ranked 1,369th among singles players in the world, had an easy win in the first match versus Kevin Major, scoring 6-3 and 6-2 in one hour and 22 minutes. This gave Jamaica a 1-0 lead. Jamaica’s Bicknell was off his game in the first set, which he lost 2-6. He was down 0-2 in his second set, but ultimately hit his stride and played himself back into the set prior to winning 6-3. He then went on to win the third set 6-4, giving Jamaica their unbeatable 2-0 lead position. The players then decided to cancel the doubles match as they had already won the tie match 2-0.
Bicknell, 19, was born in Miami, Florida, and represents Jamaica at the Davis Cup. He has been a student at the University of Florida since 2019. An American Jamaican junior tennis player, he attained a career high ATP singles rank of 1,307 and a career high ATP doubles rank of 2,037 in 2020. His career high ITF juniors rank of 96 was achieved in 2019.
The Davis Cup is the most prestigious international team event in men’s tennis. The annual contest, run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Kosmos Holding, features teams from around the world and is described as the “World Cup of Tennis.” The winners of the Davis Cup are recognized as the World Champion team. The Davis Cup was established in 1900 as a challenge between the United States and Great Britain; by 2016, 135 countries entered teams into the global competition.
Photo: Tennis Jamaica
