JAMAICA registered their third-straight win by beating fourth-seeded Puerto Rico 2-1 to move into today’s men’s semi-finals of the 2021 Americas Zone Group Three Davis Cup Tennis Championship at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento Fred Maduro Clay Court in Panama City, Panama, yesterday.

The Jamaicans, who are seeded third in the competition, had won their two other matches in Group ‘C’ over the US Virgin Islands and Panama by similar 3-0 margins.

Today’s opponents had not yet been determined at press time yesterday. Only the winners of Group ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’, along with the best second-placed team will play in the semi-finals.

The two winning semi-finalists will advance to next year’s 2022 America’s Zone Group Two competition.

Tennis Jamaica President John Azar said he was confident that Jamaica would do well.

“I am very proud of how the team has progressed and they have made Jamaica very proud of their performances so far,” Azar said.

The tennis president added that he was looking forward to another good performance and hoped the team can close it out in the semi-finals.

He said the team was mentally and physically prepared for this championship and he expects the Jamaicans will do themselves proud by being one of the two teams who will advance to Group Two next year.

“They have been playing very well so far and I hope that our two top singles players Rowland Phillips and Blaise Bicknell can pull it off,” added Azar.

In the latest result, Rowland Phillips beat Sebastian Alcila 6-3, 6-1, then Blaise Bicknell recorded a 6-4, 6-1 triumph to give Jamaica an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the tie.

Jacob Bicknell and Dimitri Bird who were playing in their first match since the tie started last Wednesday, were beaten 6-1, 6-2 by the Puerto Rican pair of Arcila and Ignacio Garcia in the men’s doubles.

— Gerald Reid