The Eric Bell Tennis Centre in Kingston will be buzzing with excitement this evening when Jamaica’s Davis Cup team takes on a Caribbean All-star side in the King Alarm Cup Championships.

The Jamaican team, to be led by the country’s top player Blaise Bicknell, also includes Randy Phillips, John Chin, and Daniel Azar, as they continue preparation for the Davis Cup Group Two play-off tie against Estonia next year. That is scheduled for February 4-5 in Kingston.

In the opening match of this King Alarm Cup, Phillips will oppose Barbados’ Darian King, who was ranked at 108 in the world in 2017. Bicknell will face Justin Roberts of The Bahamas, while Daniel Azar will square off against Michael Major, also of The Bahamas.

Phillips, who is the country’s second ranked player, said he is looking forward to a very competitive match against King.

“I have seen him play a lot because he is a good friend of mine and he is also a very good player, so I am looking forward to the battle. I think it is going to be a very good competition because he has a lot of high-level tournaments and he has achieved a very high level of tennis,” Phillips said.

“I am looking forward to matching myself up against him and see how I go because I am feeling great because playing on Jamaican soil, I can’t lose to him,” he added.

King, who is number one ranked player in Barbados, said he and Phillips have maintained a very good friendship over the years and therefore, they both know of each other’s style of play.

“It is not always good to play with friends, but I am still excited that Randy is coming back out to represent his country and I can’t wait to face-off with him and have a good time out there. I think that is going to be a very exciting championship because the Jamaicans are preparing for the Davis Cup Group Two play-offs and so they have a really good team,” he said.

“In Barbados, we are in Group Two and so I know that it is going to be really competitive. I think that my team is going to give them a good run and also good preparations for the Group Two play-offs that they have coming up,” King stated.

Blaise said he is expecting a very tough contest against Roberts, who he defeated in three sets in their last meeting in their Davis Cup Group Three encounter two years ago.

“He is a good player and he is The Bahamas’ number one player and I have played him in the Davis Cup once before and we had a great match. I was able to clip him in three sets and so I am hoping to win against him again,” said Bicknell.

“However, I am expecting a great match because he has been playing well and he is ranked at a good level and so it should be a good game. I am feeling really good going into the match because I have been playing at a real high level recently and I have been getting the results that I have been wanting. So I am looking forward to this tournament and the Davis Cup in February,” Bicknell shared.

Azar, the youngest member of the Jamaican team, said is also expecting a very competitive match against Major.

“Me and him are very good friends and we both know each other’s game and so it should be a very exciting and very competitive match and I am very excited to be playing on home ground. I am pretty confident in myself because I have been training very hard with the team and so hopefully, I will play my best tennis and we will come out with the win,” he said.

— Robert Bailey