Israel will compete in the Davis Cup tennis competition in 2008 for the first time since 1994 following an impressive victory by tennis player Dudi Sela on Sunday.  Sela defeated Fernando Gonzalez, a Chilean player who is ranked sixth in the world, in a tense five-hour match.

The drawing for the first round of the Davis Cup competition will be held on Thursday.  Israeli team members expressed confidence, saying they “always believed we belonged in the world’s top 16” and would “make a statement” during the competition.