The Lebanese Davis Cup team will be looking to prove its presence and confirm its strength and determination once again in its crucial encounter with its Japanese counterpart to gain access to World Group I, the world’s top elite.
The two teams will meet on February 2 and 3, on the “Smash Sporting Club” court in Cairo, Egypt. The court was chosen by the Lebanese Tennis Federation because it is clay and suits the Lebanese players’ style of play, unlike the Japanese players who specialize in playing on hard surfaces.
The Lebanese delegation, comprising head of delegation Johnny Abdallah, national coach Fadi Youssef, physiotherapist Lara Mouawad and players Benjamin Hassan, Hadi Habib, Hassan Ibrahim and Fady Baidan, arrived in Cairo on Monday.
The President of the Lebanese Federation, Oliver Faysal, will join the delegation next Thursday to attend the matches and support the Lebanese team, whose composition is as follows:
Coach: Fadi Youssef
Benjamin Hassan (born February 4, 1995, ranked 149th in the world)
Hady Habib (born August 21, 1998, ranked 301st in the world)
Fady Baidan (born January 1, 2006, ranked 1589th in the world)
Hassan Ibrahim (born August 17, 1995, unranked)
As for the Japanese players, they are led by coach Go Soeda and include:
Coach: Go Soeda
Yoshihito Nishioka (born September 27, 1995, ranked 61st in the world)
Yosuke Watanuki (born April 12, 1998, ranked 102nd in the world)
Shintaro Mochizuki (born June 2, 2003, ranked 136th in the world)
Rei Sakamoto (born June 24, 2006, ranked 949th in the world)
Kaito Uesigi (born June 2, 1995, ranked 1147th in the world)
The Lebanese players have been training twice a day since their arrival in Egypt. Players Benjamin Hassan and Hadi Hobeich are regular participants in international tournaments, and are at the peak of their technical form to face the Japanese Samurai team.
Japan, whose federation is presided over by Kenichiro Yamanishi, first took part in the Davis Cup in 1921 and reached second place in its first appearance, ranking 24th in the world ranking of nations. Lebanon, whose tennis federation has been chaired by Oliver Faisal since autumn 2016, is currently ranked 48th. Lebanon took part in the Davis Cup for the first time in 1957 and will be looking to return to its “natural place” in Group I, should it beat Japan.
