South Africa are set for a humdinger battle this weekend when they face Luxembourg in what is expected to be a hard-fought Davis Cup World Group II playoff in Esch-sur-Alzette on Saturday and Sunday.
At the draw on Friday, it was confirmed that the SA team's No 2 player, Alec Beckley, would face Luxembourg's top-ranked player Alex Knaff in the opening singles rubber on Saturday.
In the second singles match, SA No 1 Kris van Wyk was drawn against Luxembourg's No 2 Chris Rodesch.
While all players contesting the singles matches are similarly ranked, it is notable that Van Wyk (No 516) is ranked higher than Knaff (608) and Beckley (687) is rated higher than Rodesch (724).
In the doubles match on Saturday, however, South Africa could have a significant advantage in terms of experience and class, with veteran doubles specialist Raven Klaasen (the world No 60) joining Beckley in an encounter against Knaff and Rodesch.
Though South Africa hold some advantages heading into the tie, with the squad boasting better ATP rankings than their opponents, Luxembourg still hold the upper hand on paper.
Klaasen is a very experienced Davis Cup player, but Van Wyk and 21-year-old Beckley have never played in the international team competition. On the other hand, the home team's chosen players, Knaff and Rodesch, have 25 caps between them.
The hosts also have the benefits of home-ground support and a better understanding of the conditions, but SA captain Christo van Rensburg remained confident of his team's chances of securing a crucial victory in the indoor tie.
"We have a very good competition lying ahead. Everyone is in great spirits, we're looking forward to it and South Africa is being treated really well here," Van Rensburg said after the draw.
"This is the first Davis Cup tie in five years that Luxembourg are playing at home and they're going all out here, so it's going to be a great atmosphere.
"Everyone in our team is looking healthy and we're ready to go."
In their only previous Davis Cup tie against Luxembourg, South Africa earned a 5-0 victory in a Euro/Africa Group II clash in Centurion in 2016.
The winner of the World Group II playoff tie this weekend will compete in the World Group II division later this year, while the loser will be relegated to Regional Group III events.