Croatia and Kazakhstan drew level to 1-1 after the first day of the Davis Cup World Group in Varazdin. Marin Cilic cruised through 21-year-old Dmitry Popko 6-2 6-1 6-2 in the opening match. Mikhail Kukushkin rallied from losing the first set to beat Indian Wells semifinalist Borna Coric 3-6 7-6 6-4 6-2 drawing Kazakhstan level to 1-1.
In the first match Cilic got the first break in the fifth game of the opening set and reeled off eight games in a row en route to cruising through to a straight set win after one hour and 41 minutes.
“It’s always a bit strange in Davis Cup. You alway get those nerves at the beginning of the match. I needed a couple of games to get into the rhythm, but after that I felt great. I was serving great and that allowed me to be really aggressive in my game. He hit some great shots, but overall I was the one who was controlling the match”, said Cilic.
In the second match Kukushkin scored his third win against Borna Coric on hard court after beating the Croatian player in Rome 2016 and in the Madrid qualifying round in 2016.
Coric broke Kukushkin in the eighth game to take the first set 6-3. Kukushkin dropped his serve in the first game of the second set, but he broke back to draw level to 2-2. Coric got a second break to take a 3-2 lead, as Kukushkin sent a forehand long. The Kazakh player broke straight back to set up a tie-break. Kukushkin converted his set point with his backhand.
Kukushkin saved a break point in his first service game before breaking serve in the third game. Coric faced a break point in the fifth game but managed to hold his serve. The Croatian player held his next serve after a 15-minute game but Kukushkin won the set to take a 2-1 lead.
Kukushkin went up a double break in the third and seventh games the seal the win after three and a half hours.
“I am so happy to win and bring a point for Kazakhstan. The second set was decisive and after that I started to play much better with a lot of confidence in myself. I increased the level and was fighting for every single point. I was just trying to give my best every second that I was on the court, and that was the key to win this match”, said Kukushkin.
