( left - right ) SMITH and WILLINSKY
DAVIS CUP veterans Jermaine Smith and Scott Willinsky have been dropped ahead of Friday's crucial encounter against Cuba for the right to remain in the Americas Zone Group Two category at the Liguanea Club, New Kingston.
Having lost to the Dominican Republic 3-2 at the same venue in March, the team will now have to face off against its closest Caribbean neighbours who lost by the same margin to Uruguay.
Smith and Willinsky, who were on the team that played against the Dominican Republic in the last round, have not been recalled. Willinsky, according to team captain Douglas Burke, is coming off an injury and was not fit or match ready for the tournament, while Smith was unavailable.
First-time selection 17-year-old Dominic Pagon, who has been on tour with an ITF junior team competing in a series of tournaments in North Africa, and Elvis Henry, who was part of the team that beat Puerto Rico 3-2 in 2004 to advance to Group Two, have been called ahead of the weekend fixture as replacements.
CONFIDENT ABOUT TEAM
Burke is confident in his replacements.
"Elvis has been on the team several times before and is in very good form as he has been competing in several tournaments in the United States while Pagon is the top-rated junior in Central America and the Caribbean and has been playing excellent tennis," he said.
Leading the charge will be Jamaica's top player, 22-year-old Ryan Russell, and Damar Johnson who has performed well at the University of Louisville.
