NORFOLK, Va. – Not only was it a record setting season for Old Dominion men’s tennis in 2023-24, current and former Monarchs also made headway in the Davis Cup qualifiers recently.
Rising senior Codie van Schalkwyk and rising sophomore Connor van Schalkwyk helped lead Namibia to a 4-1 record in the Africa Group III at a six-team qualifying event in Nigeria from July 16-20. With the 4-1 mark, the brothers propelled Namibia to advance to Davis Cup World Group II playoffs which will be held in 2025. This marked the fifth time the brothers have played in the Davis Cup.
Namibia opened play with a 2-1 win over Ghana, then a pair of 3-0 wins over Nigeria and Benin. Zimbabwe put the only blemish on Namibia’s record with a 2-1 decision in match four and they finished with a 3-0 win over Cote d’Ivoire.
“Codie and Connor accomplished something special for their country this past week. For the second time ever, Namibia won the Group III Davis Cup in Africa and will participate in the playoffs for World Group II next year,” said ODU Head Coach Dominik Mueller. “Namibia has never been at this stage of world tennis much before and I know how much it means to them to deliver this to their home country. They take tremendous pride in their heritage, and I couldn't be happier for them. Can't wait to see how far they will take this in the future.”
The brothers are coming off a strong 2023-24 season for ODU. They advanced to the NCAA Fall National Championship match and earned a doubles bid to the NCAA Championships in May. Both played key roles in ODU repeating as Sun Belt Conference Champions and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. They were named First Team All-Conference in doubles, while Connor earned Freshman of the Year honors and First Team All-Conference in singles.
The van Schalkwyks are not the only ODU duo involved in upcoming Davis Cup Group II action as a trio of former Monarchs have helped lead their countries to the next stage. Brandon Perez won four matches for Venezuela as they advanced out of Americas Group III in June and will see action again in 2025. Morocco will have a pair of former Monarchs as Younes Lalami and Adam Moundir will represent their native land in the Group II playoffs in mid-September against Monaco.
“It’s special for our program to have five current or former players represent their home countries at the highest stage of international team play our sport offers,” said Mueller. “College tennis is unique to have an individual sport being played as a team event, so we are proud to see our players carry this forward and represent their flags.”