The Billie Jean King Cup Africa III, held from June 10-15, 2024, at the Nairobi Club in Nairobi, Kenya, concluded with a thrilling series of ​t​ies that saw South Africa earn promotion to the Europe/Africa Group II for 2025. 

In the first stage of the tournament, twelve teams were divided into three pools of four. Each team played against the others in their pool from Monday to Wednesday. The results of these matches determined the teams’ standings and their grouping for the second stage of the competition. 

In Pool A, South Africa emerged dominant, winning all three of their matches to finish first. Zimbabwe followed in second place with two wins,​ Madagascar secured one win to take third place​ while Namibia​ finished fourth. 

Pool B saw Kenya triumph with three wins, securing the top spot. Burundi claimed second place with two wins, Tunisia managed one win to finish third​ while Mauritius finished fourth. 

In Pool C, Nigeria showcased their strength by winning all three of their matches to take the first place. Botswana finished second with two wins, Ghana came in third with one win, and Uganda ​finished in fourth place. 

The second stage, held from Thursday to Saturday, featured teams that finished in the same position from each pool competing against one another. The highlight was the 1st to 3rd Play-Off, where the winners of each pool vied for the coveted promotion spot. In the first play-off match, Nigeria edged out Kenya with a 2-1 victory. However, South Africa proved unbeatable in the subsequent matches, defeating Nigeria 3-0 and Kenya 3-0. 

These impressive performances secured South Africa’s promotion to the Europe/Africa Group II in 2025. Unfortunately, it was a tough tournament for Mauritius. Finishing fourth in Pool B and unable to improve their standing in the second stage, Mauritius will be relegated to Africa Group IV next season.

Final results:

1st - South Africa (promoted)

2nd - Nigeria

3rd - Kenya

4th - Zimbabwe

5th - Botswana

6th - Burundi

7th - Madagascar

8th - Tunisia

9th - Ghana

10th - Namibia

11th - Uganda

12th - Mauritius (relegated)

Credit photo: Tennis Kenya