Zimbabwe’s Davis Cup team made it three out of three after thumping Ghana 3-0 in their third match in the Europe-Africa Zone Group III at the Smash Tennis Academy in Cairo, Egypt on Thursday night.
Zimbabwe’s win over Ghana is their third inside a week following earlier wins over Ivory Coast (2-1) and Kenya (3-0).
The win was sweet revenge for Zimbabwe lost 3-0 to the same opponents in the Europe/Africa, Zone Group IV in Ivory Coast in 2009.
Zimbabwe’s number two player, Mark Fynn set the platform for a dominant Zimbabwe display with a straight sets 6-0, 6-1 win over Ghana’s number one player Raymond Hayford.
United States-based Takanyi Garanganga, Zimbabwe’s number one player further increased the lead in a 6-3, 6-4 win over Ghana’s number two player Raymond Kpodo.
Ghana had a chance to secure a consolation win in the doubles match, but Zimbabwe maintained the fine run, with teenage sensation Benjamin Lock and Mark Fynn combining to beat Kpodo and Emmanuel Mensah 6-2, 7-5.
Zimbabwe was late Friday set to meet North Africans Algeria, who have also won their three matches.
Countries participating in the Europe-Africa Zone Group III are Egypt, Madagascar, Nigeria, Benin, Rwanda, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Kenya.
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Cameroon, Gabon, Congo and Zambia withdrew.
The 10 teams are divided into two round-robin pools.
Egypt, Madagascar, Nigeria, Benin and Rwanda are in Group A while Group B includes Algeria, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Kenya.
Today the winners of pool A where Egypt and Madagascar are dominating will play off against the runner-up of pool B where Zimbabwe and Algeria have been in good form.
The winner of pool B will play off against the runner-up of pool A to determine which two nations will be promoted to the 2012 Europe-Africa Zone Group II.
The remaining nations will stay in the Europe-Africa Zone Group III but will play off to decide positions 5-11.
The Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the largest annual international team competition in sport. One of the cornerstones of the tennis year, this prestigious event gives players the chance to represent their country in an otherwise individual sport.
Founded by Dwight Davis in 1900, the Davis Cup began as a challenge match between the United States and the British Isles, which was held at the Longwood Cricket Club in the US city of Boston.
Davis himself played in the inaugural Davis Cup tie, steering his country to the first of many title victories. The US has won the Davis Cup 32 times, more than any other nation.
Entering the 2011 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas were 133 countries, with the leading 16 nations contesting the World Group in which Zimbabwe reached the quarter-finals in the heydays of 1998.
