Zimbabwe has secured promotion to Davis Cup World Group II following outstanding performances by the country’s top players at the Group III Africa Qualifier event which ended in Abuja, Nigeria on Saturday.
After starting their campaign with a disappointing 2-1 loss to the hosts Nigeria in the opening tie, the Zimbabwe team recovered to win four consecutive ties.
The victories against Ivory Coast (3-0) and the trio of Ghana, Namibia and Benin on identical 2-1 scorrelines were enough for Zimbabwe to secure promotion to World Group II at the conclusion of the five-day competition.
The top three teams from the six team competition were promoted to the Davis Cup World Group II while the bottom two teams were relegated.
On the final day of the competition, Zimbabwe had to recover from a slow start after Lyle Zaloumis started the tie with a 6-0, 6-3 defeat against Sylvestre Monnou.
The country’s top ranked player Benjamin Lock however secured a clinical 6-1. 6-1 straight sets victory against Prince Gandonou to secure Zimbabwe’s first point of the day.
Benjamin then partnered his young brother Courtney to secure a 6-4, 6-4 victory against the Benin pair of Gandonou and Monnou to seal the win
The Zimbabwe team were accompanied by captain Takanyi Garanganga who has done an excellent job with the team, tapping from his experience as a former key player for the nation in the Davis Cup.
FINAL STANDINGS
