TENNIS – Davis Cup 2014. Andrey Golubev and Aleksander Nedovyesov upset 2008 doubles Olympic champions Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4 7-6(5) 4-6 7-6(6) to give Kazakhstan the lead in the rubber. The Czech Republic sealed their place in the semifinals after their doubles win that gave them a 3-0 lead over Japan. Diego Sampaolo
Switzerland vs Kazakhstan 1-2
Andrey Golubev and Aleksander Nedovyesov upset 2008 doubles Olympic champions Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka in four sets with the scoreline of 6-4 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-6 (8-6) in front of 16000 Swiss fans who packed the Palexpo in Geneva. in a thrilling match which lasted two hours and 56 minutes. Kazakhstan now leads 2-1 before Sunday’s reverse singles.
Federer and Wawrinka suffered their fourth doubles defeat in the Davis Cup after losing against Australia in 2011 and the USA and the Netherlands in 2012.
The Swiss singles Grand Slam winners broke serve to take a 5-2 lead in the second set but the kazakh team broke back when Wawrinka served for the set at 5-3. Federer saved a break point at 5-5 with his serve. In the tie-break the Asian team got a mini-break on the first point. Kazakhstan clinched a two set lead when Federer sent a half-volley wide
On the verge of defeat Federer and Wawrinka broke serve in the fifth game to take the third set with 6-4 to close the gap to 1-2 on sets. Both teams engaged a thrilling fourth set. The fourth set went on serve until Kazakhstan led 6-5 in the 11th game. Federer trailed 0-30 when he was down 6-5 but he managed to force the tie-break.
The home team held an early mini-break at 3-0 in the tie.break and had a chance to seal the win when they held a set point and force the match to the fifth set but Golubev and Nedovyesov turned around the match and clinched the match on the first match point after 2 hours and 56 minutes
Kazakhstan will be bidding to make history by reaching their first ever Davis Cup semifinal. They will need just a win in Sunday’s reverse matches. Everything will be decided in the reverse matches on Sunday when Federer will face Golubev and Wawrinka will take on Michail Kukushkin in a re-match of a 2010 Davis Cup match won by the player from Kazakhstan. It will not be easy for Federer to win a vital match against Golubev who has become the Kazakh hero after beating Wawrinka on day one. Nedovyesov is playing his first Davis Cup tie as a Kazakh player after representing the Ukrainian team in 2005.
“It feels special. That was my first Davis Cup match for Kazakhstan and I am pretty excited especially to beat 2008 Olympic champions Federer and Wawrinka. I am proud of my country and my team”, said Nedovyesov
Japan vs Czech Republic 0-3
Radek Stepanek and Lukas Rosol gave two-time defending champions from Czech Republic a 3-0 lead with a clear 6-4 6-4 6-4 win over the Japanese team formed by Tatsuma Ito and Yasutaka Uchiyama at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo. Czech Republic has qualified for the third consecutive Davis Cup semifinal despite the absence of Tomas Berdych. Japan played without Kei Nishikori who suffered from a groin injury during the Miami quarter final against Roger Federer.
Czech Republic broke serve in the second game of the opening set to take a 2-0 lead. Japan broke straight back before the match went on serve for the rest of first set. Stepanek and Rosol closed out the first set with 6-4 on the fourth set point after a 11-minute tenth game.
Japan broke serve in the third game of the second set to give the home team a 2-1 lead before the Czechs broke back to draw level to 3-3 thanks to a backhand winner by Rosol. The rest of the second set went on serve until the 10th game when the Czech team broke serve to take the second set with 6-4.
The third set went on serve until the 10th game when the Czech broke serve to close out the match with 6-4.
