Chronicle Editor
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
ZIMBABWE’S Taken Garanganga will kick off the Davies Cup team’s quest to compete in the World Group I play-offs when he takes on Syria’s Hazem Naw in the first match of the World Group II play-offs at Harare Sports Club on Friday.
The second singles contest of the tie will see Benjamin Lock square off against Yacoub Makzoume before he teams up with his brother, Courtney in the doubles game scheduled for this Saturday in which they will be up against Naw and Amer Naow.
In the reverse singles ties, Garanganga will take on Makzoume with Benjamin Lock battling Naw.
Non-playing captain, Gwinyai Tongoona expressed confidence the team will sail through adding his players’ form is looking good.
A look at the ITF Singles Rankings shows Zimbabwe’s players are better off with Benjamin at number 66 while Garanganga is ranked 116 and Cortney is at 1023 on the other hand, Naw is at 1966 while Naow is ranked 2257 and Makzoume comes in at 2167.
It’s the first time the two nations are meeting in the Davis Cup tournament and under the new structure. Should Zimbabwe win in the World Group II play-offs, they will compete in the World Group I play-offs. However, if they lose, they will compete in Africa Group III.
Zimbabwe’s last Davis Cup encounter was in April 2019 when they took on Romania in the Europe/Africa Group II, a tie they lost.
Bongani Ndlovu