Sport

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Olivia Grange has said that Jamaica will be rooting for Dustin Brown in his game against the British number one, Andy Murray, at the US Open Tennis Championship in New York today.

"Dustin has proven that he has the Jamaican spirit. We see it in his commitment and determination; and we all want to see him succeed," Grange said yesterday.

Brown, ranked 123rd in the world, became the first Jamaican to win a US Open match in 40 years when he defeated the 91st ranked Spaniard Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-4, 7-6, 7-5 in the first round on Wednesday.

Brown said that support from the Jamaican community in New York created an atmosphere which inspired him to win against Ramirez, and hoped that he would receive similar support in his match against Murray, who is ranked 4th in the world.

Jamaican symbol

The sports minister said she has been assured that Jamaican tennis fans in New York are also gearing up for the match, and have been alerted to travel with the Jamaican flag or any other Jamaican symbol in support of Brown.

"I know the Jamaican guys are coming," he said. "They will be on my side. I don't know about anybody else."

The 25-year-old Brown was born in Germany (his mother is German), but moved to Jamaica as a child (his father is Jamaican). He has expressed frustration with a lack of support from the Jamaican federation, even floating the idea of playing for Britain in Davis Cup because of a British grandparent on his father's side.

Tennis Jamaica elected banker Aubyn Hill as its new president on August 19, and Brown said he was open to hearing from the federation's new leadership.