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Johannesburg - The South African Davis Cup tennis team are one win away from playing again for a place in the top-tier World Group of the international team competition.
The South Africans, who lost out in the playoffs for the World Group for the last two years running, will face the Netherlands in a Euro/Africa Zone Group I encounter from July 8 to 10.
The Dutch side defeated the Ukraine 3-2 in Kharkiv at the weekend, while South Africa received a bye in the first round.
A win over the Netherlands will qualify the hosts for the World Group playoffs from September 16 to 18 where they will face one of the losing teams from the first round of the World Group division.
South Africa have not faced the Netherlands since readmission to the competition in 1992, and the teams have not met since May 1967.
The South Africans, however, have not lost to the Dutch since 1920, and have won all six subsequent ties.
The Dutch team is led by Theo de Bakker and Robin Haase, ranked 53rd and 56th in the world respectively. They are backed up by Jesse Huta Galung (113th), Igor Sijsling (156th) and Thomas Schoorel (167th).
South Africa are spearheaded by SA Open champion Kevin Anderson, ranked 40th in the world, who is expected to make his long-awaited Davis Cup return after almost three years in the wilderness.
Anderson is backed by the likes of Izak van der Merwe (150th) and Rik de Voest (162nd).
The SA Tennis Association said the venue for the tie would be announced soon.
