Due to the record amount of entries at the mixed-gender tournament, the ITF had to install a qualification stage, which saw 10 teams compete for five spots in the main competition.

Ties are comprised of men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles rubbers, with the latter shortened to first to five games.

Algeria marked their first-ever appearance at the event by comfortably sweeping aside Poland as they earned a dominant 3-0 victory.

Amira Benaissa and Fatima Zohra Boukezzi got their nation off to the perfect start with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Marta Pawlowska and Weronika Szczepaniak, before Billal Benzaid and Abdelwakil Keciba guaranteed their progression to the main draw by overcoming Lukasz Chlopek and Lukas Nowak 6-2, 7-5.

The whitewash was then complete as Benaissa and Keciba teamed up to beat Nowak and Szczepaniak 5-4, 5-3.

Egypt were made to fight for their place in the next round as Marwa Elwany and Aliaa Fakhry suffered a 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 reverse at the hands of British pair Carole and Suzy Madge.

The African team fought back, though, to clinch the next two rubbers as Ahmed Mohamed Ghoneim and Mohamed Hassan Ghoneim ousted Michael McBride and Yiannis Toumazis 6-2, 7-6.

It was left to Mohamed Medhat Moussa and Aliaa Fakhry to fire Egypt into the main draw and they duly obliged, beating Toumazis and Suzy Madge 6-3, 6-2.

Tunisia won the opening rubber of their clash against Moldova but were then pegged back by the European side, before they proved too strong in the final match to earn a 2-1 success.

Elsewhere, the African dominance continued when Morocco beat Finland 3-0, while Belarus are also through after they edged Thailand 2-1.

The main draw is due to begin tomorrow.