NAMIBIA’s tennis team made history on Wednesday when they reached the Davis Cup Africa Group 3 final for the first time, after beating Algeria 2-1 on Wednesday.
It was the first time that Namibia had reached the final, and a possible promotion to Group 2, after having played in Group 3 for more than a decade.
They however lost Thursday’s final, 2-0 to Egypt and will now remain in Group 3.
Tunisia beat Benin 2-0 in a second positional final and will now be promoted with Egypt to Group 2.
Namibia team captain Johan Theron was ecstatic after their stunning victory against Algeria.
“It is a great achievement for the team and I’m very proud of them. They showed exceptional character under pressure,” he said.
Deon van Dyk gave a good performance before losing the opening singles match 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 against Ilhlef Aymen 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-3, but Tuki Jacobs drew Namibia level with a great display against Mohamed Hassen 6-1, 6-3.
Jacobs had lost to Hassan in last year’s Davis Cup, but this time he dominated from the start to complete an emphatic straight sets victory, 6-1, 6-3.
Jacobs’ team mate Henco Serdyn, Jacobs’ pace and power proved to be decisive.
“Tuki used his forehand to his full potential and Hassan couldn’t keep up with Tuki’s pace and power of his shots. Tuki made him play off his back foot and kept the ball on the baseline,” he said.
In the decisive doubles encounter, Jacobs and Van Dyk beat Youcef Ghazal and Mohammed Hassan 6-2, 6-2.
“Tuki and Deon kept them under pressure from the first point till the last, and made sure that the game did not slip away from Namibia. They hit solid volleys and returns and captain Johan Theron also gave great guidance and support,” Serdyn said.
“It was a good day, I’m happy that we won,” Jacobs said, while Van Dyk added: “It was a good team effort and the guys showed great character.”
In Thursday’s final against Egypt, Deon van Dyk lost the first singles match 6-4, 6-1 against Sherif Sabry, while Jacobs lost 6-4, 6-4 to Mohamed Safwat.
“Sabry just had a bit more experience than Deon. Deon played good tennis, making all the shots but Sabry just kept the ball in play, grinding the ball,” Serdyn said.
“Tuki had very few opportunities and Safwat had a slight advantage over Tuki. Both singles matches were intense, we made them earn every point and we tried to keep the unforced errors down to a minimum,” he added.
“Today we competed well, we had our chances to take the lead, but couldn’t convert them. However our level is there with Egypt and I’m confident to take them down next time,” Jacobs said after the match.
“Both players played great tennis and both had the opportunity to take charge of the match. The results show that Namibia’s tennis level is not far behind that of top African countries,” Theron said.
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