The Sunday Mail
Fatima Bulla – Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Davis Cup team is hungry for success as the Group III Africa tournament gets underway in Egypt tomorrow, non-playing captain Martin Dzuwa has declared.
Dzuwa leads a team that comprises the United States-based trio of Takanyi Garanganga, Benjamin Lock and Tinotenda Chanakira as well as Mark Fynn.
Zimbabwe bowed out in the semi-finals at the last three editions of the annual tournament, but will battle it out with 12 other nations for the two promotional tickets into Euro/Africa Group II.
The outdoor tournament is set for the red clay at Smash Tennis Academy in Cairo and Dzuwa reckons this will be Zimbabwe’s year.
“I think our chances are very high. We are confident that this year we will qualify after coming agonisingly close over the last three years,” said Dzuwa, speaking from his team’s Cairo base.
Last year, Zimbabwe lost 1-2 to Egypt and the non-playing captain is aware of the threat posed by the hosts.
However, he is also quick to note that countries such as Madagascar, Nigeria and Algeria cannot be underestimated.
“We lost to Egypt (last year); they had a good team and we expect them to have the same this year. The doubles are crucial, especially when you have drawn in the singles; so we are working on coming up with a formidable doubles team,” said Dzuwa.
Last year, 24-year-old Garanganga and his 21-year-old partner Fynn made up the doubles, but with a larger pool of players at his disposal, Dzuwa can opt for fresh legs as Garanganga and Fynn would have done battle in the singles.
Dzuwa disclosed that the team will finetune and decide on a game plan at the tourney venue this afternoon.
“The boys are all in high spirits. Benjamin and Mark were here two weeks ago and they are looking forward to it. The other guys are also looking forward to the experience and tomorrow (today) we will decide on how to approach the competition.
“The good thing is that all the boys have been playing competively and doing well, so it’s just a matter of kick on really,” he said.
Tennis Zimbabwe president Regis Bhunu believes the five-men team will be victorious after three consecutive years of painful exits.
Bhunu reckons the team, which is being sponsored by Old Mutual, has gained enough experience to take the next step.
“The past three years have been painful; we won the group stages and lost in the semi-finals, the final hurdle. “However, this year we have a strong team, considering Takanyi’s ranking has shot up in the world.
“We also have Mark Fynn, who is also a doubles player, touring in the circuit. Benjamin is also a good singles player and his absence last year was felt badly,” he said.
The TZ boss noted that promotion into the Euro/Africa group II will have a positive impact on the development of tennis locally.
“This will bring the Davis Cup matches home, which means a bigger tournament able to attract fans and sponsorship.
“This will also create opportunities for more developmental projects as well as see our players getting ITF incentives. As Tennis Zimbabwe, we wish our team all the best; we believe in them,” he said.
