Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
RUSSELL
JAMAICA FACE neighbours Cuba in a do-or-die Americas Zone Group Two Davis Cup clash starting today at the Liguanea Club, New Kingston.
The losers of the tie will be relegated to Group Three while the victors will hold on to their place in Group Two.
The official Cup draw was done yesterday morning at the venue and will see Jamaica's top player, Ryan Russell, opening play in the first rubber against Edgar Hernandez-Perez.
Hernandez-Perez has appeared in only two Davis Cup singles ties and has failed to win a match while Russell boasts a 16-3 record in Cup singles.
Today's second singles rubber will see Damar Johnson, the University of Louisville's No. 1 ranked player, take on Cuba's Richard Chile-Fonte. Chile-Fonte has a 9-6 record and is coming off a five-set win over Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay in the previous round.
Johnson has a 1-2 mark and lost to the more experienced Victor Estrella of the Dominican Republic in the first round this year.
In doubles action scheduled for tomorrow, Russell and Johnson have been assigned to play the pair of Chile-Fonte and Sandor Martinez-Breijo. However, the doubles teams can be changed and either of Jamaica's reserves, Dominic Pagon or Elvis Henry, may be given a chance to play.
On Sunday, the order of the singles matches will be reversed and Russell will challenge Chile-Fonte while Johnson will look to tackle Hernandez-Perez.
Jamaica team captain Douglas Burke was pleased with the result of the draw although admitting that the team would have been ready for any result.
"The draw was fine but we would have been ready to play anyway it had turned out. As it is, Ryan, our No. 1 player, should hopefully go out and give us a positive start and we are ready to go," Burke said.
Action starts today at 10:00 a.m.
