President of Tennis Jamaica (TJ) John Azar says he is quietly confident the team can beat hosts Lebanon in the semi-finals of their Davis Cup Group Two tie in September.

The Jamaicans were paired against the Middle East country following Thursday’s draw by world governing body, the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

Azar told the Jamaica Observer the tie is going to be a very tough one, but he is very optimistic that the team will do well.

“We know that any team in Group Two is going to be tough, and so right now I am sure that the captain is taking a look at the players that recently played for Lebanon,” said Azar.

“We will be doing our background research on them and we are expecting tough competition so certainly our team will be well-prepared and ready to go come September,” he said.

“How the ITF system works, we knew we were going to be facing one of the seeded teams, but we didn’t know which team and then clearly when the draw is made, we didn’t know if it was going to be a home tie or away tie,” Azar said.

The Jamaican team, led by the country’s number one player Blaise Bicknell along with Rowland Phillips, John Chin, Daniel Azar and Jacob Bicknell, booked their spot in the semi-finals of the competition after their 3-2 home win over Estonia last weekend.

Azar pointed out that the team has been in excellent form and therefore they will be ready for whatever difficulties they may face when they go up against the Lebanese.

“Of course, having just hosted a successful home tie, we were hopeful for a flip of the coin to go our way again and to host another tie, but unfortunately that is not the case and so we will have to be prepared to play,” he said.

“It’s going to be tough conditions, but the team is a tough one and I am sure that they will be ready for whatever comes at them,” Azar stated.

“Whichever team that we are going to play against and whoever we are going to be playing, we can only control what we can control and that includes the team preparations and the environment around that,” Azar said.

“Rest assured that we will be on our game and that the guys will certainly be giving the best account of themselves and by extension for the country,” he added.

Phillips, who is the country’s number two player, said the team is looking forward to the contest against the Asians.

“I am feeling good about this draw but they are a tough team, but I think it should be a very good match-up for us,” said Phillips. “They are a good team and so we just have to prepare the best that we can because we have plenty of time to prepare, and so I feel good right now and so I just have to make sure that I do the right things mentally and just keep myself in shape for this,” he said.

— Robert Bailey