WINDHOEK – Namibia opened its 2015 Davis Cup participation in Cairo, Egypt with wins by Tuki Jacobs and Deon van Dyk on Monday.
Jacobs and Van Dyk are part of the Namibian team competing at the Davis Cup from 26 to 30 October this year.
The third player, Henco Serdyn, lost his first game 6-2, 6-1 against Pascal Ziyad Alome from Ghana.
The Davis Cup is also known as ‘The World Cup of Tennis’, and is the premier international team event in men’s tennis.
It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and contested annually between various countries in a knock-out format.
Namibia has been drawn in the Africa Euro Group 3 where they are competing in Pool A along with Algeria, Tunisia and Ghana.
Jacobs managed to secure his singles match 6-4, 7-5 in a tight game against George Darko of Ghana, and Van Dyk also won his singles game in a two-and-a-half hour match.
In the team event, Namibia beat Ghana, and this victory placed Namibia in second place behind Tunisia in Pool A.
A statement availed to Nampa on Monday by Team Namibia officials attending the event said it was a fantastic start for Namibia, and the vibe in the camp was great.
“I would like to congratulate the team. We had a good win today. I’m very proud of the team, they really showed character,” captain Johan Theron was quoted as saying in the statement.
Jacobs said it was a tough day for the team but they managed to push through and prevailed.
“It is always good to get a win on day one of the tournament. We are all excited and ready for the upcoming few matches,” he said.
On Tuesday, Namibia lost to Tunisia – Van Dyk lost 1-6, 0-6 to Aziz Dougaz, while Jacobs lost 0-6 1-6 to Malek Jaziri.
Other African teams at the tournament are Benin, Libya, Egypt, Mozambique and Nigeria. – Nampa
