SANTIAGO, Chile – Jamaica’s top-ranked tennis player Blaise Bicknell is pleased to be through to the men’s singles round of 16 at the Pan American Games but has identified ways to strengthen against his next opponent.

Bicknell, ranked 426th in the world by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), started slowly against Paraguay’s Martin Vergara, losing the first set 3-6, but gained composure and turned the momentum to take the next two sets 6-3,6-2 yesterday.

“I came out a bit slowly,” Bicknell told the Jamaica Observer after the game. “I was getting used to the conditions and all that, but I found my groove in the second set and carried it out in the third set so I’m happy to come away with the win.”

Bicknell credits Vergara for the fight he showed, especially early in the match.

“He’s good,” Bicknell said. “He came out fearless, came out swinging, and played a very good first set so I give him credit — but I toughed it out in the end.”

In looking to his next game Bicknell wants to work on his movement around the clay court.

“I just need to improve my footwork, getting around the ball,” he said. “Other than that, though, I feel strong and I feel confident.”

Bicknell’s teammate Rowland “Randy” Phillips, ranked 1780 by ATP, did not win his game but was cheered by spectators while departing the court, after coming close to pulling off an upset against Colombia’s Nicolas Mejia, ranked 330 by ATP.

Phillips started strongly — winning the first set 7-5 — and had a close battle in the second set during which, at one point, the score there read 4-4, but Mejia used his experience to claim it 6-4. Phillips started strongly again, at one point leading the third set 4-2, but could not stop an onslaught from Mejia who was near flawless in his comeback to take the set 6-4, and the match as a result.

“I played well and I felt good out there but I just didn’t close,” Phillips said dejectedly after the match. “I know, at least, that my fitness is good and I felt strong throughout; I just couldn’t close it out.”

Phillips said he wasn’t sure what went wrong at the end but suggested it could have been mental in nature.

“I don’t know, maybe a little nerve, maybe one or two bad shot selections, that’s pretty much all it came down to — a few points here or there,” he said.

But Phillips says such a performance against a player ranked that much ahead of him vindicates his belief in how well he has played recently.

Bicknell and Phillips now turn their attention to doubles action today as they come up against the American duo of Evan Zhu and Omni Kumar in the round of 16.

Jamaica’s swimmers had a difficult day in the pool.

Emily MacDonald had a fifth-place finish in the women’s 50m freestyle heat, clocking 26.23 seconds that was good enough for a place in the final. However, she finished eighth there in 26.37s.

Her national teammate Sidrell Williams was eighth in his heat in the men’s equivalent in 24.17s.

MacDonald, who swam the third leg, was joined by Sabrina Lyn (first), Leanna Wainwright (second), and Morgan Marie Cogle (anchor), for the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay heats. They placed fifth in 9:08.37 minutes.