Bosnia and Herzegovina took full control of their 2015 Euro Africa Group II Davis Cup tie against Zimbabwe after winning the two opening singles matches on the opening day at Harare Sports Club on Friday.
The visiting team’s number two player Mirza Basic who is ranked 199th in the world romped to 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) over the hosts’ Takanyi Garanganga.
Later, the hosts number two player Benjamin Lock ran out of steam after an encouraging start against the highly rated Damir Dzumhur, who kept his composure to win the match 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 to put Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 ahead.
Dzumhur is the highest ranked player in the tie with a world ranking of 87 while Lock, who plays US college tennis for Florida State University is ranked 971st.
After a disappointing start Zimbabwe look to their doubles pair of veteran Wayne Black and Mark Fynn to keep to them in the hunt by winning the doubles encounter Saturday.
The doubles match will start at 1100 hours with Black, and Fynn, will facing the Bosnia/Herzegovina’s pairing of Mirza Basic and Tomislav Brkic.
The reverse singles will start at 1000 on Sunday. Zimbabwe are playing their first Davis Cup at home in almost 10 years having last hosted Norway in a Euro/Africa Zone Group II first round tie in April 2006.
The winners of this weekend’s tie will face a second round match the winners of the other tie between Hungary and Moldova in July while the losers play a relegation playoff against the losers of that match.
(Source: Xinhua/ photo sportsport)
