Jamaica’s hopes of advancing to Davis Cup Group Two were dashed on Sunday as they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Uruguay in the decisive play-off at the Liguanea Club, a result that sees the hosts relegated to Group Three.
With the tie evenly poised at 1-1 following Saturday’s opening day, Jamaica entered the final day knowing the doubles encounter would be crucial. However, the local pairing of Daniel Azar and Nicholas Gore was unable to capitalise, losing 6-4 to Uruguay’s experienced duo of Ariel Behar and Franco Roncadelli.
Azar and Gore showed early promise, racing to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, but the Uruguayans responded with authority, breaking serve three times to turn the set around and close it out 6-4. The Jamaicans again edged ahead in the second set at 3-2, but Behar and Roncadelli maintained their composure and consistency, dominating the latter stages to seal the set and give Uruguay a 2-1 lead in the tie.
That result left Jamaica needing victory in the first reverse singles to stay alive, with the responsibility falling to the country’s top-ranked player, Blaise Bicknell. Facing Roncadelli, who had already enjoyed a successful weekend, Bicknell produced a spirited performance in a gripping three-set contest but ultimately fell short, losing 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
Roncadelli, ranked significantly higher than Bicknell and coming off a doubles win earlier in the day, took the first set with confident baseline play. Spurred on by strong home support, Bicknell raised his level in the second set, mixing controlled aggression with deft shot-making to edge it 7-5 and keep Jamaica’s hopes alive. However, the final set belonged to the Uruguayan, whose big serve, quick movement, and composure under pressure proved decisive as he closed out the match and secured the tie for his country.
“I gave it everything I had, but the Uruguayan guys are tough, and overall, it was a good match,” Bicknell said afterward. “It didn’t go my way, but I have a lot of positives to take from this weekend. Overall, the team played well because we all gave it everything that we had, but we will be back because we are going to put in the work.”
With Uruguay sealing an unassailable 3-1 lead, the scheduled final singles match between Jamaica’s Rowland “Randy” Phillips and Joaquin Aguilar Cardoza was not required.
The defeat marks another setback for Jamaica, which was attempting to return to Group Two after missing out in recent years following losses to Barbados in 2024 and New Zealand in 2025. Their last success at this level came in 2023 when they defeated Estonia.
Tennis Jamaica President John Azar says he is disappointed but proud after Jamaica crashed out of the Davis Cup Group Two qualifier, losing 3-1 to Uruguay on Sunday.
“Of course we are disappointed with the end result, but all credit to team Uruguay, who played well throughout the weekend and got the win,” Azar told the Jamaica Observer.
“I am extremely proud of our team; they prepared well, fought hard, and left it all out on the court—which is all we could ever ask of them.
“We knew we were the underdogs going in, insofar as rankings are concerned, but the matches were all really close, and, but for a few points here and there, we could easily have come out on top.”
Azar’s son Daniel partnered Nicholas Gore but lost the doubles match 4-6, 4-6 to Ariel Behar and Franco Roncadelli.
Roncadelli, who was the highest-ranked player in the tournament at 337 in the world, was integral in Uruguay’s success, winning all three matches he was involved in. He won his opening match against Rowland “Randy” Phillips, then won against Blaise Bicknell.
“I think with all four matches played we had chances and could have won all four,” John Azar said. “As glorious as sport is, the one negative is that someone has to lose a tie like this — and, unfortunately, that was us this time around.
“Again, no regrets — aside from the result itself — and I am super proud of everyone on the team, including the captain, coach and the support staff.”
The Davis Cup drew a crowd to the Liguanea Club in New Kingston, as the venue was packed and proved a good sign for lawn tennis in Jamaica.
“I think the event went really well. We had a packed venue on both days, and I am sure the guys were appreciative of the strong home support,” John Azar said.
“We have a relatively young team who will only get better, and I have no doubt that we will regroup and come back stronger than ever.”
Plans are underway to attract more talent to the sport, which is often considered one for Jamaica’s affluent.
“We’re launching our street tennis program,” John Azar said. “There are some mini tennis courts we’ve set up here at Liguanea Club, which are going to be set up, literally, out in the streets across the island. They’re portable courts.
“We’re taking tennis to the people instead of only waiting for people to come to tennis. So, the sport is growing, thank God, and obviously hosting Davis Cup matches like this is great — not only for our players to play in front of the fans, fans to watch good tennis, but for our young players and future stars to watch these matches, hopefully get inspired by them, train a bit harder, commit themselves a bit more, and hopefully create champions of the future.”
