DES MOINES, Iowa - Members of the Drake men's tennis team have had a busy summer competing across the globe preparing to help defend the Bulldogs' 2012 Missouri Valley Conference title.

Seniors Jean Erasmus (Winhoek, Namibia) and Anis Ghorbel (Sfax, Tunisia) both represented their countries at the Group III Davis Cup Championship for the Africa region held July 2-6 on clay courts at Cite Nationale Sportive d'El in Tunis, Tunisia.

Ghorbel's Tunisian team was promoted to Europe/Africa Zone Group II competition for 2013 based on winning its pool with victories past Zimbabwe, Ghana and Namibia. Tunisia then eased past Ivory Coast, 2-0, to return to Group II after a one-year absence.

Erasmus' Namibian squad posted a 1-2 mark in pool play, downing Ghana, while suffering setbacks versus Zimbabwe and Tunisia.

Back in the United States, sophomore Grant Tesmer (Lincoln, Neb.) captured the singles title at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Summer Circuit Tournament presented by the United State Tennis Association (USTA) in Wichita, Kan.

Seeded third in the draw, Tesmer posted a 4-0 mark en route to securing the championship, including a 7-5, 6-1 victory over second-seeded John Warden of Oklahoma.