Kazakhstan Ties Serbia 1-1 in Davis Cup

Favourites Serbia and Kazakhstan are tied 1-1 after the opening day of their Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first round tie, as Mikhail Kukushkin stunned Viktor Troicki 75 62 64 to cancel out Novak Djokovic’s  61 62 63 win against Aleksandr Nedovyesov in the opening singles rubbers on Friday.
The outcomes have set up a mouth-watering final two days, with home crowd favourites Djokovic and Nenad Zimonjic due to take on Andrey Golubev and Nedovyesov in Saturday’s doubles, before Djokovic meets Kukushkin and Troicki locks horns with Nedovyesov in the reverse singles on Sunday.
Delighted after seeing world No.1 Djokovic brush aside his rival, ranked No. 200, the home fans in the Aleksandar Nikolic Arena watched in disbelief as Kukushkin tore Troicki apart after edging the Serb in the opening set.
Having shaken off an eye infection only a day or two before the tie, Djokovic breezed through his debut in the venue, renamed last month after one of Serbia’s most respected basketball coaches.
Djokovic tormented Nedovyesov in the opening set with an array of unstoppable shots, showing no signs of struggle after sitting out a week following the problem which forced him to retire against Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in last Thursday’s Dubai Championships quarterfinal.
“We had never played before but I was aware that Nedovyesov plays with a lot of heart and can be a very awkward opponent when given time to hit the ball, hence I knew I had to change the rhythm and mix it all the time to unsettle him,” Djokovic told a news conference.
“It’s a great honour to have played my first Davis Cup tie in this iconic venue, where so many historic basketball matches have been played and I was fortunate enough to watch some of them as a fan,” he added.
Playing for the first time against the world’s top-ranked performer, Nedovyesov put up a brave fight early in the second set, when he won the longest game of the match to take a brief 2-1 lead.
That spurred Djokovic into action and the 28-year old from Belgrade won the next five games, while producing a barrage of sizzling shots, including several spectacular net points.
“I tried to play as well as I can. I was at my best in the second and third set but Djokovic showed just why he is the world No. 1,” said Nedovyesov, who was cheered on relentlessly by a colourful and vociferous band of visiting Kazakhstan supporters.
Sporting a giant drum and several trumpets, the away fans played a crucial part in creating a superb atmosphere and hence it was no surprise that a fired-up Kukushkin took full advantage of their enthusiasm when he faced Troicki.
The opening exchanges suggested their match would develop into a trademark Davis Cup marathon, as the pair exchanged a series of long rallies and pushed each other to the limit.
Having bounced back from a 4-2 deficit to take a 5-4 lead in the opening set, Troicki appeared to have gained the upper hand but it all went wrong for him after Kukushkin held serve and then broke again.
The battling Kazakh held to claim the opening set and then took the match by the scruff of the neck, roared on by the away fans who made the visitors feel as if they were playing at home.
He was in total control throughout the second set and then took a 3-0 lead in the third before Troicki conjured a rare moment of inspiration to break serve and then hold his own, giving himself and Serbian fans a glimmer of hope.
Troicki missed a chance to level it at 3-3 in the third set and Kukushkin quickly capitalised on his rival’s blunders, breaking serve again to take a 5-2 lead before the Serb saved a match point on the Kazakh’s serve and then held his own to make it 5-4.
But it was all over several minutes later after Kukushkin finally broke down the Serb’s stubborn resistance with a searing cross-court backhand winner, setting the stage for an enthralling doubles contest on Saturday.
Kazakh captain Dias Doskarayev concluded: "I am satisfied with the outcome of the opening day but I can’t say that I am shocked, because we prepared really well for this tie.
"Nedovyesov was a little bit nervous against Djokovic, which is understandable given the class of his opponent, but I am really delighted for Kukushkin because he beat a great player with a vintage performance.
"Also, I have to salute our travelling fans who made the trip to support us. The players know what this means to them and all our supporters glued to their television sets back home."

Source: Davis Cup Website