Thuell Helps Bermuda to Second-Place Finish in Davis Cup Play

Former UNC Asheville tennis standout Nicholas Thuell was a member of the Bermuda Davis Cup team that played recently in El Salvador in Group 4 of the Americas Zone.

Thuell played in one match and helped lead Bermuda to a surprising second-place finish for a team that was seeded fifth going into the competition.

The Bermuda team lost its first match to Aruba but stormed back to win its last five matches to earn the second-place finish and a promotion to Group 3 next year.

The last match of the tournament was the most pivotal one for Bermuda. They played Panama, ranked 99^th in the world, and Bermuda had to win to go to Group 3. Bermuda won the two singles matches to give them the victory, and Thuell teamed up with Jacob Trott to win the doubles point, 7-6, 6-3.

“Rookies almost never play in their first year, so it was an honor to play,” commented Thuell recently. “The whole week was a fantastic experience. It brought back wonderful memories about being part of a team again.

“This is just the third time that Bermuda has been promoted to Group 3 in the 14-year history of Bermuda's Davis Cup team,” added Thuell. “It was an incredible experience to and something I will never forget.”

The final standings of Group 4 were Aruba, Bermuda, U.S. Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago and Panama.

Bermuda will be in Group 3 next year with Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Cuba, Barbados and the bottom finishers of Group 2.

Thuell was a four-year letterman for the UNC Asheville tennis program. He played both singles and doubles for the Bulldogs and was a member of the Big South All-Academic team for men's tennis his junior and senior year. He served as Asheville's team captain as a senior. Thuell graduated in May of 2008 with a degree in Economics.

He is currently working on his Masters degree in Applied Micro Economics at UNC Greensboro.