TENNIS- The Siberian city of Irkutsk will play host to the BNP Paribas World-Group Play-Off match between Russia and Italy. The Italian team coached by former Davis Cup champion Corrado Barazzutti will bid to maintain its place in the World Group for 2016 after reaching the semifinals last year. Italy will have to defend its position in the Davis Cup World Group top-tier after losing 3-2 against Kazakhstan in Astana last March.
Italian top two players Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi both have a better ranking than the Russian best player Teymuraz Gabashvili and start as favourites but rankings do not matter too much at Davis Cup level and surprises are possible.
In the opening match Russian best player Gabashvili will play against Simone Bolelli, replacing Andreas Seppi who has been sidelined for the opening match by a left foot issue. Seppi could play in the second singles rubber on Sunday if the match will be decisive.
Gabashvili, a Russian player of Georgian origin, beat Andy Murray this year in Washington, reached the fourth round in the Paris Roland Garros where he lost to Kei Nishikori and won three ATP Challengers. Gabashvili reached his best ranking this year when he advanced to World Number 50. Bolelli leads 2-1 in his previous three head-to-head matches against Gabashvili. The Russian player beat Bolelli in Miami in 2009 but the Italian won their last head-to-head match in Biella in 2010.
“Teymuraz is playing well this year and I think he likes this surface. He is an indoor specialist and a dangerous. I will try to play my best tennis and push him and try to win”, said Bolelli.
The Indoor surface and home advantage could be a factor and help the Russian team reduce the gap on the Italian team.
“It won’t be easy to play there because it’s for sure going to be on a fast court. Our rivals will be pretty young. It’s an important tie for us. Last year we did very well by reaching the semifinals, so we hope to stay in the World Group four a fifth consecutive year. Before we played a lot of years in the first division, one down from the World Group, and it took us a long time to come back to this level. We lost a close match against Kazakhstan in the fifth rubber at the beginning of the year, so it was a little bit sad but we will try to win this one to stay in the World Group”, said Andreas Seppi.
The Russian team came captained by Shamir Tarpishev back from 0-2 to beat Spain 3-2 in the Davis Cup in the second round of the Davis Cup Group I in Vladivostok last July. The home team will bid to return to the World Group for the first time since 2012. Seventeen-year old Andrey Rublev, Roland Garros Junior champion in 2014, won the decisive point for 3-2 in the fifth rubber match against Pablo Andujar in Vladivostok and will be a dangerous rival to Italian star Fabio Fognini, who reached the fourth round at this month’s US Open after beating Rafael Nadal in the third round. The Italian, who is ranked World Number 28, was the first player to beat Nadal after losing the first two sets.
Fognini and Rublev will meet in the second match on Friday during the opening day. Fognini and Rubliev are separated by 148 positions in the ATP Ranking but the young Russian player will play without pressure. Fognini beat Rublev earlier this year on clay in the ATP 500 in Barcelona.
Fognini has recently boosted his confidence with his third win over Nadal at Flushing Meadows and the first Grand Slam title won by his fiancee Flavia Pennetta over Roberta Vinci in New York. Fognini joined the Italian team on Tuesday after a 19-hour flight from New York.
“I am tired but to play for your country is something different and something that you have to feel in your body and your skin and especially in your heart. I just have to go out on to the court and do my best to try and fight against him and that’s it I trained very well. I will play against a young player. I hope that the experience will be a factor and that I will play with a 1-0 lead for the Italian team. I don’t feel pressure. I have always played very well in the Davis Cup but it will not be easy becaus the level is very high. All players want to do well as they represent their country. The surface is not very fast and I am adaèting well to it. The only problem is the jet-leg after the long flight from New York but there is no time to think about that as it’s a very important week-end for Italian tennis. The win of Flavia Pennetta in Flushing Meadows gives me extra motivation as it shows that it is possible to fulfil every dream with hard work ”, said Fognini.
On Saturday Evgeniy Donskoy will team up with Konstantin Kravchuk in the doubles match against the Italian team formed by Paolo Lorenzi and Andreas Seppi, although it is possible that this year’s Australian Open doubles champions Fognini and Bolelli could play for what is expected to be a crucial match. Donskoy and Kravchuk won the doubles match against Spain leading to the incredible come-back victory in Vladivostok.
Donskoy is a dangerous player for the Italian team at Davis Cup level especally after he beat Tommy Robredo in four sets in the match between Russia and Spain last July.
It’s the first time that Irkutsk, one of the largest cities in Siberia near the Angara River will host a Davis Cup match. Italy played only once on Russian soil in 1969 and lost 5-0 against the former Soviet Union team.
The last time both teams met dates back to 1996 when Italy beat Russia 3-2 in Rome.
Diego Sampaolo
