Davis Cup tie excites Harris

– Lloyd Harris will spearhead the South African challenge in their Davis Cup Euro/Africa group one play-off tie against Portugal starting tomorrow.

Harris will be playing in his seventh Davis Cup tie for South Africa. Since his Davis Cup debut against Luxembourg at home at Irene Country Club in 2015, Harris has made impressive improvements to his game and world rankings and with top-ranked Kevin Anderson making himself unavailable for Davis Cup duty, the hopes of the nation lie firmly on the shoulders of Harris.

“It’s always an honour to play for my country and each time I walk onto court in the green and gold I feel extremely proud,” said Harris ahead of the two-day tie.

“I have been really confident lately on court and I’ve played a lot of matches this year. Getting a lot of wins in the last couple of months has really built my confidence up nicely. I’m just playing very good tennis at the moment.”

The 21-year-old arrived in the Portuguese capital with a career-high world ranking of 112th.

Two weekends ago Harris dominated the field in Stockton, California, to claim his second ATP Challenger Tour title. – ANA

Lisbon