Davis Cup squad do Marcos proud
WHITEWASH: SA SWEEP TO 5-0 WIN OVER SLOVENIANS Next up for coach’s men is Denmark in September.
The national men’s tennis team are showing rapid improvement, according to captain Marcos Ondruska, after his squad wrapped up a commanding 5-0 victory over Slovenia in their Davis Cup Euro-Africa Group 2 second-round tie in Centurion yesterday.
The result earned them a spot in the promotion play’offs later this season.
“I’m obviously ecstatic. At the beginning of the week, if you had given me 3-2, I would have taken it,” Ondruska said.
“This shows a lot of the systems we have put into play here to support the guys are working.
“It also shows the guys are working individually on their own tennis, and becoming better and better players in their own right.
“Beating Slovenia 5-0 is outstanding and we’re very excited. Tomorrow we’ll start working on our next opponents.”
With 20-year-old Lloyd Harris and Nik Scholtz having won their opening singles matches on Friday, in-form player Raven Klaasen and partner Ruan Roelofse took the doubles rubber on Saturday, securing a straight-sets victory for an unassailable lead.
The host nation were also triumphant in yesterday’s reverse singles fixtures.
“I’m really happy and proud of my team,” Ondruska said.
“Everything worked for us this weekend and my players executed well and really lifted their games to the highest level I’ve seen since taking over the captaincy.
“The boys kept composed and put on a good show.”
The SA squad set up a crucial tie against Denmark in September for a place in the top tier of the Euro-Africa division in the international team competition.
Should they beat Denmark, they will compete in Group 1 next year for the first time since 2013, and will give themselves some hope of possibly climbing into the prestigious World Group down the line.