Australia Surges To A 2-0 Lead Against Brazil In Davis Cup Qualifier

AUSTRALIA leads BRAZIL 2-0

Venue: Memorial Drive Tennis Club, Adelaide, AUS (hard – outdoor)

#NextGenATP Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild carried the momentum of his triumph at the Chile Dove Men+Care Open into his battle against Aussie veteran John Millman on Friday in Davis Cup Qualifiers, serving for the match in the second set. But Millman never stopped battling, rallying past the 19-year-old 4-6, 7-6(0), 6-2 to give his country a 2-0 lead against Brazil.

“One of my most memorable [wins], without a doubt. You can have all the individual success you want, but, for me, I’ve said it on multiple occasions, the epitome is playing for your country, and that’s really special,” Millman told DavisCup.com. “I’m just glad Lleyton trusted me to give me the call-up and I could not just do it for the country, but do it for the team.”

Seyboth Wild was within two points of victory on his serve on two occasions. But Millman played his steadiest tennis in the key moments, earning the win after two hours and 51 minutes to give Australia a 2-0 lead.

In the day’s first match, Jordan Thompson defeated Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 24 minutes. The Aussie had lost his only previous match against a lefty this season when Albert Ramos-Vinolas beat him in Adelaide. But Thompson found good form against the Brazilian to give his country the advantage.

Thompson broke serve on four of five opportunities, while saving six of the eight break points he faced.

CROATIA leads INDIA 2-0

Venue: Dom Sportova, Zagreb, CRO (hard – indoor)

Former World No. 3 Marin Cilic gave Croatia a strong 2-0 lead on the first day of Davis Cup Qualifiers, battling past 2018 Newport finalist Ramkumar Ramanathan 7-6(8), 7-6(8).

“Ramanathan played a great match today, he served really well and allowed me no breaks of serve,” Cilic told DavisCup.com. “I tried to do my own things well at my end of the court but as ever it’s difficult to play against an opponent with nothing to lose.”

Cilic moves to 7-4 at tour-level this season after crushing 18 aces and winning 85 per cent of his first-serve points. The World No. 37 triumphed after two hours and 12 minutes.

Earlier in the day his countryman, Borna Gojo, rallied past Prajnesh Gunneswaran 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 57 minutes. It was Gojo’s first tour-level win.

ITALY leads KOREA, REP. 2-0

Venue: Circolo Tennis Cagliari, Cagliari, ITA (clay – outdoor)

Fabio Fognini and Gianluca Mager did not drop a set in their singles matches on Friday, propelling Italy to a 2-0 lead against South Korea.

Fognini defeated Duckhee Lee 6-0, 6-3, and then Mager beat Ji Sung Nam 6-3, 7-5.

“I’m very happy to win for my country,” Mager told DavisCup.com. “It was a very difficult match, but I fight every point, I won and I’m happy.”

World No. 11 Fognini is the highest-ranked player in the FedEx ATP Rankings competing this weekend. The Italian only needed 64 minutes against Lee, breaking serve six times in his victory.

This tie is being played without fans in the stands due to coronavirus concerns.

SWEDEN tied with CHILE 1-1

Venue: The Royal Tennis Hall (Kungl. Tennishallen), Stockholm, SWE (hard – indoor)

Mikael Ymer, a 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals competitor, helped Sweden earn a split on the first day of play in Stockholm against Chile. Ymer, a 21-year-old at a career-high FedEx ATP Ranking of No. 67, defeated Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera 6-2, 6-3.

But Alejandro Tabilo levelled the tie at 1-1, beating the older Ymer brother, Elias Ymer, 6-4, 6-3.

AUSTRIA tied with URUGUAY 1-1

Venue: Steiermarkhalle Schwarzlsee, Graz I Premstätten, AUT (hard – indoor) 

Pablo Cuevas had to dig deep into the experience that once carried him into the world’s Top 20 on Friday, scratching past #NextGenATP Austrian Jurij Rodionov 6-7(7), 6-3, 7-6(5) in two hours and 49 minutes.

Rodionov came into the match with plenty of confidence after winning two ATP Challenger Tour titles in February. But World No. 60 Cuevas hit 12 aces and did not face a break point in his win, putting Uruguay on the board.

Earlier on, World No. 85 Dennis Novak cruised past Martin Cuevas 6-2, 6-4.

ECUADOR leads JAPAN 2-0

Venue: Bourbon Beans Dome, Miki, JPN (hard – indoor)

Both Japanese players in action on Friday held a higher FedEx ATP Ranking than either Ecuadorian man competing. But that did not stop Ecuador from taking a 2-0 lead against Japan, the home favourites.

World No. 151 Emilio Gomez clawed past Go Soeda 7-5, 7-6(3) to give his country the advantage, before World No. 276 Roberto Quiroz beat Top 100 player Yasutaka Uchiyama 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-6(8) to move Ecuador within one victory of advancing to Madrid for the Davis Cup Finals.

GERMANY tied with BELARUS 1-1

Venue: Castello Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, GER (hard – indoor)

Big-hitting Jan Lennard Struff got Germany off to a strong start against Belarus with a 6-4, 6-4 win against Ilya Ivashka, but it was not enough to keep his country in the lead at the end of the day.

Egor Gerasimov battled past veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) to level the tie at 1-1. Gerasimov has been in the best form of his career in 2020, reaching a career-high World No. 65 in February. The Belarusian saved four of the five break points he faced to triumph after two hours and 38 minutes.

KAZAKHSTAN tied with NETHERLANDS 1-1

Venue: National Tennis Center, Nur-Sultan, KAZ (hard – indoor)

Kazakhstan and the Netherlands are level at one rubber apiece after Friday’s play in Kazakhstan.

Dutchman Robin Haase won a battle of veterans against Mikhail Kukushkin, navigating past the Kazakhstani 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3. Kukushkin had won the pair’s two previous ATP Head2Head meetings, six years ago in Winston-Salem and last season in Rotterdam. But Haase hit 10 aces and broke four times to give his country the edge.

Alexander Bublik turned it around for Kazakhstan with a razor-tight 7-6(4), 7-6(4) victory against Tallon Griekspoor. World No. 51 Bublik is just four spots off his career-high FedEx ATP Ranking.

CZECH REPUBLIC leads SLOVAKIA 2-0

Venue: AXA Arena NTC, Bratislava, SVK (clay – indoor)

The Czech Republic doesn’t have stalwarts Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek competing any longer, with both men recently retiring. But the country still leads Slovakia 2-0 in their Davis Cup Qualifier.

Lefty Jiri Vesely, who lifted his second ATP Tour title in Pune this year, beat Jozef Kovalik 6-3, 7-5. Lukas Rosol, who stunned Rafael Nadal at 2012 Wimbledon, then defeated Andrej Martin 6-4, 6-4 to extend the Czech Republic’s lead.

BELGIUM leads HUNGARY 1-0
Venue: Fonix Hall, Debrecen, HUN (clay – indoor)

Belgium and Hungary will head into Saturday action with their tie level at one rubber each.

Belgium’s Ruben Bemelmans worked hard to beat Rio Open presented by Claro semi-finalist Attila Balazs 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-4 on the Hungarian indoor clay. But Hungarian No. 1 Marton Fucsovics battled back for his country with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win against Kimmer Coppejans.

Fucsovics got off to a strong start to his season with a trip to the fourth round of the Australian Open. He converted five of the six break points he earned against Coppejans.

COLOMBIA v ARGENTINA
Venue: Palacio de los Deportes, Bogotá, COL (clay – indoor)

USA v UZBEKISTAN
Venue: Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Honolulu, USA (hard – indoor)