Barbados trails 0-2 in Davis Cup tie; must sweep final day

Barbados faces an uphill battle in their Davis Cup World Group II First Round tie against Lebanon after dropping both opening singles matches on Friday in Cairo, Egypt and would need to win their three remaining rubbers on Saturday. 

Despite a strong three-set execution from national No.1 Darian King as well as No. 2-ranked Kaipo Marshall, the national side closed day one at a 2-0 deficit and now requires a flawless turnaround in the remaining rubbers to keep their hopes alive.

The day’s opening clash featured King against Lebanon’s No.2 seed Benjamin Hassan in what unfolded as a thrilling three-set encounter. 

Hassan, dictating play early, broke through to take a 5-3 lead in the first set. King, however, showed his trademark resilience by clawing back to 5-5, then edging ahead 6-5 after surviving two advantages. 

But Hassan’s composure under pressure was telling; he held serve at 40-15 to force a tiebreak. King seemed poised for control with a 4-1 advantage, yet Hassan refused to yield, rallying to 6-6 before sealing the breaker 8-6 and the opening set.

Galvanised by the setback, King produced a commanding response in the second set, demonstrating his shot variety and aggressive play to storm ahead 5-0. He conceded just one game before clinching the set 6-1, restoring hope for Barbados with the tie locked at one set apiece.

The decisive third set mirrored the tension of the opener, with both men exchanging great shot selections in a contest of sheer determination. King, fueled by precision and consistency, battled to 6-6 with a dominant 40-0 service game to force yet another tiebreak. In a near repeat of the first, Hassan edged King once more in a high-pressure finish, taking the tiebreak 8-6 and ultimately the match 7-6 (8-6), 1-6, 7-6 (8-6).

With Barbados looking to even the score in the second rubber, national No.2 seed Kaipo Marshall stepped onto the court against Lebanon’s No.1 Habib Hady. Unfortunately for the Barbados team, Marshall struggled against  Hady, falling 6-3, 6-1 in a one-sided contest that handed Lebanon a commanding 2-0 overall lead.

Barbados must now rally in the doubles and reverse the tide in the remaining singles rubbers if they are to overturn Lebanon’s advantage and avoid an early exit from the World Group II competition. (AS)