South Africa's top-ranked player, Philip Henning, led the charge on Sunday, digging deep to carry the Renault SA Davis Cup team to a 3-1 victory over Nigeria in their World Group II playoff clash at Groenkloof Tennis Club in Pretoria.
Level at 1-1 heading into the second and final day of the tie, the SA team had no trouble beating their opponents in the doubles rubber.
With captain Pietie Norval making late changes to their doubles pairing, the SA team's top-ranked players Philip Henning and Kris van Wyk took to the court.
And they romped to a decisive 6-0 6-3 win over the second-string Nigerian pairing of Canice Abua and Michael Emmanuel, giving the hosts a 2-1 lead ahead of the reverse singles.
Renault SA team takes the lead!
— Tennis South Africa (@TennisSA) February 2, 2025
South Africa takes a 2-1 lead against Nigeria after Philip Henning and Alec Beckley defeat Abua Canice and Michael Emmanuel 6-1, 6-3.
🇿🇦2️⃣🆚1️⃣🇳🇬@Renault_SA @DunlopSportsSA @SouthernSunGrp @Lottosportza @ArtsCultureSA @SABC_Sport #DavisCup… pic.twitter.com/xMRqRJIM7o
"Our plan was to get the doubles over as quickly as possible, knowing that Philip (Henning) had to come back and play singles, and it worked in the end," Norval said afterwards.
🇿🇦 Victory secured! The @Renault_SA team triumphs over Nigeria with a 3-1 win in the Davis Cup World Group II playoffs! 🙌🏽
— Tennis South Africa (@TennisSA) February 2, 2025
Philip Henning sealed the deal with a hard-fought 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4 victory over Cristopher Bulus, securing South Africa’s place in the World Group II tie… pic.twitter.com/91nsguzEJB
While the South Africans were in the driving seat at that point, Nigeria had somewhat of an advantage in the return singles matches after resting their top two players for the doubles.
However, Henning (the SA team's No 1) managed to hold off a strong challenge from Nigeria's No 2, Cristopher Bulus, in the reverse singles.
Bulus won the first set in a tightly contested match, before Henning clawed his way back into the match and edged ahead, clinching a 6-7(4) 6-4 6-4 victory.
"The whole match was a battle, and we went back and forth. He (Bulus) played a great match and every single game was tough, but I think my legs maybe lasted a bit longer than his," Henning said.
"But it was hot out there and I'm just proud of the way I fought, and I'm so happy to get the win in front of our home crowd. The fans today were unreal - it was such a great atmosphere - and I couldn't be more happy."
By beating Nigeria, the SA team avoided relegation from World Group II and earned the right to compete in the World Group I promotion playoffs later this year.
Tennis South Africa general manager Anthony Moruthane was confident the national men's team could continue to make progress and climb the ladder in the Davis Cup competition.
"We're very proud of their performance and we're hoping we can lift the Davis Cup team to where they belong," Moruthane said.
"We have Renault on board, we have other partners, and with Pietie (Norval) on board I'm confident we'll be able to return to World Group I."
© Tennis SA