2019 Davis Cup: Nigeria battles Tunisia, six others for promotion

Nigeria will be making another attempt at gaining promotion to the elite division of the Davis Cup as the West African side will battle host – Kenya, Tunisia, Benin Republic, Namibia, Algeria, Mozambique and Madagascar.

The Africa Group III event will also take place in Nairobi, Kenya from September 11 to 14 on the clay courts of the Nairobi Club.

After finishing fifth at the 2018 edition, Nigeria will be on the umpteenth time be heading out of the country for a place in the top division. Nigeria’s best outing in the Davis Cup was in 1988 and 1989 editions when the team reached the Group I semifinals.

According to International Tennis Federation (ITTF), Kenya has been named as the host of the Africa Group III event after the East African nation edged out Tunisia to secure hosting right for the tournament in September.

Being the second time in a row that Kenya will be hosting the tournament having hosted the 2018 edition in which Kenya, Tunisia and Namibia secured promotion to the Africa Group II. But the trio were denied the participation in the elite cadre after a new sponsor came on board and opted to use a new ranking system which knocked the three promoted countries back to Africa Group III.

The new ranking system came to effect after a new sponsor, Kosmos Group, an investment firm owned by FC Barcelona and Spain defender, Gerard Pique, signed a deal valued at $3b covering 25 years.

For Africa Group IV, Brazzaville will play host the qualifiers from June 26 to 29, with the host – Congo Brazzaville facing Cameroun, Rwanda, Botswana, Ghana, Uganda, and Cote D’Ivoire on the hard courts of the Complexe Sportif Concorde de Kintele