Israel’s tennis fantasy continued to come true this week end with its national team’s 3-2 victory over the favored and highly rated Czech team in Hradec, Czechoslovakia, in Davis Cup international competition.
Israel has thus qualified for the quarterfinals for the 1987 cup, and will play India in July. Before this year’s match with the Czechs, Israel had never before made the final round of 16 teams.
Israel’s rising young tennis star Amos Mansdorf won both his singles matches. Last Friday, he surprised Miroslav Mecir, one of the world’s five best players, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. In the final and deciding match on Sunday he overcame Karel Novacek, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.
Israeli tennis veteran Shlomo Glickstein defeated Milan Srejber 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 3-2 (retired) on Friday. Israel’s previous team victory, over Switzerland, also included a default, rare in Davis Cup competition. Glickstein lost to Mecir on Sunday 3-6, 1-6, 2-6.
Glickstein and Mansdorf lost in doubles on Friday to Mecir and Tomas Smid, 2-6, 6-4, 6-8, 6-8.
India has been designated the home team for its match with Israel, with the site of the match to be determined in about a month. India recently refused to allow an Israeli team to participate in an international table-tennis competition.
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