Topsy-turvy but good year for tennis

JAMAICA’S METEORIC qualification to Group Two of the Davis Cup was sullied by a bitter dispute between the executive of Tennis Jamaica and several top players in the island last year.

Playing on local soil at the Eric Bell Centre, Jamaica easily took a 2-0 lead over Estonia in their Group Three tie, with number-two seed Rowland ‘Randy’ Phillips dispatching number-one-ranked Kristjan Tamm 6-1, 6-1 and the island’s number-one-ranked Blaise Bicknell recovering from a set and a break down to beat Jurgen Zopp 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.

That was day one of the tie, and the Estonians roared back in the first match on day two with the doubles pair of Kenneth Raisma and Zopp beating John Chin and Daniel Azar 6-1, 6-2, but Jamaica would win the tie in the next match, as Bicknell had a default victory over Tamm, who hit the centre-line judge in frustration and was disqualified.

Etonia’s Johannes Seaman 6-1, 6-0 win over Jacob Bicknell in the final match was inconsequential as Jamaica won the tie 3-2 on the resurfaced courts and the improved facilities at Eric Bell Centre.

The victory was historic for Jamaica, who qualified for Group Two of the competition for the first time in 25 years, but that was followed by the Bicknell brothers, Blaise and Jacob, being joined by Chin in a dispute with Tennis Jamaica about the automatic selection of Azar for the island’s next match against Lebanon.

The trio succinctly hinted at nepotism with the inclusion of Azar, with Blaise first protesting in a letter to Tennis Jamaica indicating his possible withdrawal from future Jamaica teams without changes to the selection process.

President of Tennis Jamaica, Azar’s father John, hit back at a press conference, dismissing the claims and standing firm in his retort that the association will not bow to Bicknell, who was later joined in protest with letters to the association from Jacob and Chin.

President John remained steadfast, and his son, Daniel, journeyed to Lebanon amid security concerns about sectarian fighting.

Further progress proved a bridge too far, however, as Jamaica were humbled 4-0 by their hosts Lebanon, with Phillips going down to Benjamin Hassan 7-5, 6-3, Blaise losing to Hady Habib 7-6, 6-1, Bicknell and Phillips being defeated 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 by Hassan and Habib and Azar dismissed by Mustapha El Nataur 6-3, 6-1.

Bicknell had some success at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in El Salvador as he captured the bronze medal, beating Mexican Alan Rubio 6-1, 6-7, 7-6, while also winning his first International Tennis Federation (ITF) Pro Circuit title with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over the United States’ James Tracy in Canada.

Bicknell previously lost the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Socal Pro series final to Italy’s Lorenzo Claverie 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Locally, there were several tournaments throughout the year, with Macoy Malcolm and Maureen Williams winning the respective men’s and women’s titles at the Downy Classic in Montego Bay, David Goldsmith capturing the Bounty Invitational Classic in Ocho Rios, and Jeremy Miller taking the Innovative Invitational Amateur Classic in St Andrew.