Lloyd Harris

South Africa’s lone entrant in the men’s singles draw at this year’s Wimbledon, Lloyd Harris, lost his first round match. Photo by Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour

Perfect start for SA Davis Cup team against Venezuela

South Africa got off to a superb start by winning their opening singles matches in their Davis Cup World Group II tie against Venezuela in New York.

Lloyd Harris

South Africa’s lone entrant in the men’s singles draw at this year’s Wimbledon, Lloyd Harris, lost his first round match. Photo by Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour

South Africa got off to a superb start on Saturday by winning their opening singles matches in their Davis Cup World Group II tie against Venezuela in New York.

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Playing at a neutral venue at the historic Forest Hills Stadium – the former home of the US Open – SA No 1 Lloyd Harris was in spectacular form in the opening rubber.

Harris raced to a crushing 6-0, 6-0 win over Venezuela’s No 2 player, Brandon Perez.

Harris is ranked 31st in the world while Perez is 1 921st.

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“I’ve never seen him (Perez) play before, so it was the first time. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I think I made life very difficult for him,” said Harris, who reached the quarter-finals at the recent US Open.

“I didn’t give him any free points and he served his games. I think he has some good strokes, he has some good shots, but I think I just played very well, very efficiently.”

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Boosted by his compatriot’s dominant performance, Philip Henning went on to beat Ricardo Rodriguez in the second singles match.

Though Rodriguez put up a fight, 20-year-old Henning held on to secure a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

“I really enjoyed playing today. It was a fun match,” Henning said.

“I was a bit nervous at the beginning, but after a few games I found my groove and found my rhythm. I think I played well.”

Raven Klaasen and Ruan Roelofse are set to face Luis David Martinez and Dimitri Badra in the doubles match on Sunday.

In the reverse singles matches, Harris is scheduled to meet Rodrqiguez and Henning is up against Perez.

If they win any of their three remaining matches, the SA team will advance to the Davis Cup Group I promotion playoffs.

Day 2 of the Davis Cup action will start at 17:00 (SA time) on Sunday.