Israel advances to Davis Cup World Group

Dudi Sela's sensational victory over world no. 6 Gonzales leads Israel's national tennis team past Chile, places it among top 16 in the world

Reuters | Published: 09.23.07, 21:01

The Israeli national tennis team on Sunday claimed a spot in the Davis Cup's World Group for the first time since 1994 after beating Chile 3:1.

National team members rejoice (Photo: Eli Elgarat)

The hero of Israel's overall victory was Dudi Sela, who beat world no.6 Fernando Gonzalez in five sets – 4:6, 7:6, 5:7, 7:6, 6:3 – and placed Israel among the world's top 16 tennis teams.

Sela, who is ranked 105th in the world, said following his sensational win at the Ramat Hasharon tennis stadium, "This is a great day for me and for Israeli tennis; I cant' believe what just happened here."

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres both phoned Sela to congratulate him on the victory.

Fellow national team member Noam Okun said, "This great crowd of 4,500 people pushed us to victory. We proved once again that at home we can beat any rival."