South Africa Left Chasing in Davis Cup After Painful Day 1 Against Morocco

Pretoria, 13 September 2025 – South Africa’s Renault Davis Cup team will head into Day 2 of their World Group II tie against Morocco on the back foot, after a frustrating opening day at the Groenkloof Tennis Club in Pretoria saw both singles matches slip away despite promising starts.

The home side looked set to claim early momentum, with both Alec Beckley and Marc van der Merwe winning their opening sets against their Moroccan opponents. But in a cruel twist, South Africa could not turn their chances into victories, leaving Morocco with a commanding 2-0 lead and just one win away from clinching the tie.

Beckley’s Agonising Missed Match Points

The opening clash set the tone for a day of near-misses. South Africa’s Alec Beckley, ranked 607 in the world, had the opportunity to put his side 1-0 up when he held two match points against Yassine Dlimi.

Beckley edged a tight first set in a tiebreak, showing resilience after recovering from an early break. In the second set, he broke at a critical juncture to lead 5-4 and earned two chances to serve out the match. But Dlimi, ranked 777, displayed remarkable composure, fending off both match points before forcing another tiebreak.

Once the Moroccan seized the second set, momentum shifted sharply. Beckley’s resistance faltered in the decider as Dlimi surged to a 6-7, 7-6, 6-2 win, leaving the Pretoria crowd stunned at what might have been.

Van der Merwe Outmuscled in Turnaround

If Beckley’s defeat was heartbreaking, Marc van der Merwe’s match against Taha Baadi was equally frustrating. Van der Merwe dominated the first set 6-3, dictating with clean ball striking that left Baadi scrambling.

But the Moroccan flipped the script from the second set onwards. Baadi’s booming first serves and steadier baseline play began to pile pressure on the South African. Van der Merwe, so composed early on, suddenly struggled in the longer rallies and was undone by a string of unforced errors.

Despite creating several break opportunities, Van der Merwe could not convert them, and Baadi ruthlessly closed out the next two sets 6-1, 6-1 to seal a second Moroccan victory on the day.

Must-Win Doubles Loom on Day 2

With Morocco now holding a 2-0 lead, South Africa must win all three of Saturday’s scheduled matches – the doubles rubber and two reverse singles – to turn the tie around.

Team captain Pietie Norval and his squad will know the margins were fine on Day 1. Both Beckley and Van der Merwe had chances to tilt the contests in South Africa’s favour, but costly lapses at key moments proved decisive.

The doubles pairing, still to be confirmed, will now carry the weight of keeping the tie alive. A victory in the morning could swing momentum back to the hosts and reignite belief ahead of the reverse singles.

South Africa may be down, but they are not yet out. The challenge on Day 2 is simple: seize the chances that slipped away on Friday, or watch Morocco celebrate in Pretoria.