Jamaica’s hopes of advancing into Davis Cup Group Two came to a disappointing end yesterday at the Liguanea Club after they went down 3-1 to Uruguay.
With the tie locked at 1–1 heading into yesterday’s decisive final day, Jamaica suffered back-to-back defeats in the doubles and first reverse singles matches, allowing Uruguay to seal the play-off.
In the doubles, Jamaica’s Daniel Azar and Nicholas Gore were swept aside 6-4, 6-4 by the Uruguayan duo of Ariel Behar and Franco Roncadelli.
Azar and Gore made a bright start, racing to a 3-0 lead in the opening set. However, the visitors rallied strongly, breaking the local pair three times as they surged ahead to take a 5-3 lead before closing out the set emphatically.
The hosts again showed early promise in the second set, edging ahead 3-2, but were once again overpowered by the strength and consistency of their opponents. Behar and Roncadelli maintained their momentum, dominating the latter stages to secure the set and put Uruguay firmly in control of the tie.
The penultimate singles match between Jamaica’s number one Blaise Bicknell and Roncadelli produced an entertaining spectacle for the spectators, as both players battled through an exciting three-set thriller. In the end, Roncadelli, ranked 344 in the world, held his nerve to defeat 463-ranked Bicknell 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
Bicknell said he was disappointed with his performance but he tried his best.
“I gave it everything I had, but the Uruguayans guys are tough and overall, it was a good match,” said Bicknell.
“It didn’t go my way, but I have a lot of positives to take from this weekend. Overall, the team played well because we all gave it everything that we had, but we will be back because we are going to put in the work. So whenever we get back on this stage, we are going to show our worth the next time,” he added.
In what proved to be the decisive match, Roncadelli began confidently, breaking Bicknell twice to claim the opening set 6-3. Spurred on by strong home support, Bicknell found his rhythm in the second set, playing with greater confidence and producing several delightful shots to edge his opponent 7-5.
The final set, however, belonged to Roncadelli. The big-serving Uruguayan, quick between the lines and composed under pressure, lifted his level once more, striking clean winners and controlling the key points to close out the set and the match, sealing victory for Uruguay. The Jamaicans have now been demoted to Group Three of the Davis Cup competition.
