Jamaica will bow into action today when they take on hosts Lebanon in their Group Two Davis Cup Play-off tie.

Rowland “Randy’ Phillips, who is Jamaica’s number two-ranked player, will face Lebanon’s Benjamin Hassan in the opening match starting at 5:00 am Jamaica time, while Jamaica’s number one Blaise Bicknell will oppose Hady Habib at 7:00 am.

The 29-year-old Phillips, who is currently ranked 1,778th, said he has nothing to fear from Hassan, who is rated 209th in the world, therefore, he is very optimistic that he will win his match today.

“I am feeling very good and I am confident because we have been playing really well and I am ready to go,” said Phillips.

“My preparation has been really good because I have been here training really hard, and so the entire team have had a good week of practice and we are ready to compete now,” he said.

Phillips, however, paid respect to today’s opponent.

“He [Hassan] is definitely a good player, but at this level, everyone is a good player, so it is just about who makes the least mistakes on the day that will come out on top,” he said.

Bicknell, who is the highest-ranked Jamaican player at 430th in the world, will face Habib who is rated at 390th in the world. The 21-year-old Bicknell, who has been in excellent form going into the competition, said, like Phillips, he is confident of victory.

“I am feeling confident because we are all in very good shape and we have been training well and so we are all excited and ready to get going,” said Bicknell.

“He is a good player because he is a similar ranked player to me and so it is going to be a tough match but I am confident that I will win,” he said.

Meanwhile, captain of the Jamaican team Mel Spence said that the Jamaicans have prepared mentally and physically for the championships and he is very upbeat they will do well in the tournament.

“The matches are going to be absolutely tough because this is a level up from where we were against Estonia, and on paper these guys are higher ranked than us. But to me, that is just numbers and so I am convinced that we have a very good shot of doing well here,” he said.

“It is also going to take unity, heart, confidence, and just togetherness — and we have that bond and we have the togetherness right now, which is great,” Spence went on. He also explained that it will be a huge boost for Jamaica’s tennis if they were to win this tie and advance to Group One of the competition. In fact, Spence underscored that no Jamaican team has ever made it into Group One of the Davis Cup tournament.

“This is a massive tournament for us because if we win this tie then we will be in Group One, which will eclipse the furthest that we have ever been, ever, in Davis Cup,” he said. The other members of Jamaica’s team are John Chin, Daniel Azar, and David Goldsmith.

“There is a world group which consists of the top 16 teams, and group one is the next-best 16 teams, so if we win then we will be inside the top 32 in the world,” Spence explained.