SA GRIT SEES OFF MONTENEGRO IN DAVIS CUP THRILLER
South Africa produced a gutsy performance at the Irene Country Club in Centurion to clinch a dramatic 3-2 victory over Montenegro in their Davis Cup World Group II play-off tie on Sunday.
The home side was under serious pressure after dropping the doubles match, but rallied brilliantly to keep their place in World Group II.
It wasn’t smooth sailing for the hosts. After a balanced first day left the tie level at 1-1, SA stumbled early on the final day when Montenegro took the doubles rubber 6-2, 7-6, putting the home team in a tricky spot.
South Africa needed three straight wins from the remaining reverse singles to stay in contention, and they delivered just that.
Top dog Philip Henning set the tone with a commanding singles victory, defeating Petar Jovanovic 6-3, 6-2 to pull SA back on track. But the real drama came in the final rubber. Alec Beckley, having lost his first match of the tie, found himself in a tough spot again, trailing 5-2 in the opening set against Montenegro’s Aleksa Krivokapic.
Not willing to go down without a fight, Beckley dug deep, flipped the momentum, and sealed the encounter 7-6 (7/3), 6-3, sparking celebrations from the packed crowd.
SA coach Pietie Norval was understandably pleased with the character shown by his players. He acknowledged how tough the tie was and praised the way South Africa battled back from adversity to secure a vital win at home.
The victory ensures South Africa remains in the World Group II tier of the Davis Cup, keeping alive their hopes of climbing further up the international team competition ladder.
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