Serbia tops Kazakhstan to set up Davis Cup semifinal against Croatia - UBITENNIS
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Serbia tops Kazakhstan to set up Davis Cup semifinal against Croatia

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Serbia set up a semifinal against Croatia in the Davis Cup by Rakuten as world number 1 Novak Djokovic led his team to a comeback win over Kazakhstan. 

Mikhail Kukushkin gave Kazakhstan a 1-0 lead with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 7-6 (13-11) win over Miomir Kecmanovic in the first singles match.  

Djokovic sent the Davis Cup quarter final match into a deciding doubles match after cruising past Alexander Bublik 6-3 6-4. The Serbian star scored his 17th consecutive singles win in a Davis Cup match. 

The Wimbledon champion returned to the court to team up with Nikola Cacic in their 6-2 2-6 6-3 win over Andrey Golubev and Aleksandr Nedovyesov. 

Kukushkin beats Kecmanovic 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-6 (13-11)

World number 182 Michail Kukushkin saved four match points to beat Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-6 (13-11) in 3 hours and 16 minutes after an entertaining quarter final match at the Davis Cup by Rakuten in Madrid to give Kazakhstan a 1-0 lead over Serbia. Kukushkin fought back from 2-5 down in the deciding set and saved four match points before converting his fifth match point to win the tie-break of the third set 13-11. 

Kecmanovic earned an early break in the first game to take a 2-0 lead. Kukushkin pulled back on serve immediately to draw level to 2-2. Both players went on serve in their next service games en route to the tie-break. Kukushkin earned a mini-break to take a 2-1 lead. Kecmanovic pulled back on serve for 4-5, but Kukushkin earned his second mini-break to claim the tie-break 7-5. 

Kukushkin took an early 3-1 lead with a break in the fourth game of the second set. Kecmanovic pulled back on serve in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. The Serbian player converted his fifth set point on Kukushkin’s serve in the tenth game to seal the second set 6-4. 

Kecmanovic opened up a 3-0 lead with a break in the second game of the third set. Kukushkin saved five five break points in the fourth game to avoid falling down 0-4. When Kecmanovic was serving for the match at 5-3, he dropped serve after wasting two match points. 

Kecmanovic was the first to earn match point in the tie-break but he hit a forehand long at 6-5. The Serbian player fended off four match points but Kukushkin converted his fifth match point to seal the breaker 13-11. 

Djokovic beats Bublik 6-3 6-4

Djokovic earned two break points with a forehand at 2-1. Bublik saved the first chance with an ace. Djokovic converted his second break point after Bublik made a drop shot error. Djokovic held his next service games to close out the first set 6-3. 

Djokovic went up a 2-1 lead with a break in the third game of the second set. The 20-time Grand Slam champion won close to 90% of his first service points to open up a 4-2 lead. He held his service game to love to take a 5-3 lead. Bublik held his serve fo 4-5 in the ninth game, but Djokovic served out the win on his second match point. 

“The Davis Cup is a team competition. It’s completely diffferent than any other competition”, said Djokovic. 

Serbia beats Kazakhstan 6-2 2-6 6-3

Djokovic and Cacic broke twice in the fifth and seventh games to win the opening set 6-2. 

Golubev and Nedovyesov converted their fourth break point in the fourth game to open up a 4-1 lead. The Kazakh team sealed the second set 6-2 with a double break in the eighth game. 

Djokovic and Cacic earned two breaks in the fifth and ninth games to win the third set 6-3. 

“I am proud of the fighting spirit. We dropped off in the second set, but we bounced back and held our nerves. I am proud of Nikola and of my team”, said Djokovic. 

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Roberto Bautista Agut is within one win of a milestone 400th win on the ATP Tour

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Roberto Bautista Agut beat Roman Safiulin 6-3 7-6 (10-8) after 1 hour and 59 minutes to win the 399th match win on the ATP Tour of his career. 

Bautista Agut earned his first game in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. The Spaniard converted his fourth break point in the ninth game to seal the first set 6-3. 

Both players held on their service games en route to the tie-break. 

Bautista Agut saved a set point at 8-7 in the tie-break of the second set before winning the final three points to seal the tie-break 10-8 after nearly two hours on Pista Rafa Nadal. 

Bautista Agut drew level to 1-1 in his two head-to-head matches against Safiulin. 

The former world number 9 set up a second round against Karen Khachanov. In this match Bautista Agut will have the chance to reach the milestone 400th win on the Tour. 

Nick Hardt came back from one set down to beat Spanish Next Gen player Martin Landaluce 2-6 6-4 6-3. Hardt won his ATP Tour main draw debut match. He has become the first Dominican player to win an ATP Tour match since Victor Estrella Burgos in Quito in 2018. 

Hardt converted his third break point in the first game of the opening set and held serve at 15 to take a 2-0 lead. Landaluce broke three three times to win the first set 6-2. Hardt earned a break in the third game to win the second set 6-4. Hardt broke twice in the third and ninth games to close out the third set 6-3. 

“It was a crazy day, obviously a very special day. I feel at home here in Barcelona. Two weeks ago I won my first Challenger here, this week I qualified for my first ATP 500, and I won my first Tour match in the main draw”, said Hardt.   

Brandon Nakashima beat Daniel Evans 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 to set up a second round match against Andrey Rublev. Evans earned his first break to take a 1-0 lead. Nakashima won four games in a row with two consecutive breaks to take a 4-1 lead. Evans broke back in the ninth game to draw level to 5-5. Both players traded two mini-breaks to draw level to 3-3 in the tie-break. Nakashima earned his third mini-break to win the tie-break. Nakashima broke serve at deuce in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead. The US player converted his fifth break point in the seventh game and held serve at love in the eighth game to close out the second set 6-2. 

Matteo Arnaldi was drawing level to 5-5 in the first set against Arthur Cazaux, when the Frenchman was forced to withdraw from the match due to an ankle injury. 

Facundo Diaz Acosta beat Daniel Rincon 6-1 6-4. 

Marco Trungelliti beat Duje Ajdukovic 6-2 7-6 (7-3). 

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Poland, Great Britain, Japan and Slovakia book their spot in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals

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Iga Swiatek beat Swiss teenager Celine Naef 6-4 6-3 in the Qualifiers in Biel to book Poland a spot in the Billie Jean King Finals, which will be held in Seville next November. Poland took an insurmountable 3-0 win over Switzerland in the best-of-five qualifying round. 

Naef went up an early break in the third game of the first set to take a 2-1 lead. Swiatek reeled off six consecutive games to build up a 6-4 4-0 lead, but Naef pulled back on serve at 3-4, but Swiatek reeled off the final two games to win the win the second set 6-3 after 1 hour and 23 minutes. 

Swiatek sealed her seventh consecutive match win at the Billie Jean King Cup. 

“I am super happy and proud of everybody. It’s been a really fun week, so I am happy that this week so I am happy that this time I could lead my team to be in the finals. Hopefully we are going to finish it in November, but I am super proud of what we achieved for these two days”, said Swiatek. 

Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter earned Great Britain a 3-1 win over France. 

Diane Perry won 12 consecutive games from 0-2 down to beat Katie Boulter 6-2 6-0 in the first match on Friday.

Emma Raducanu, US Open champion in 2021, came back from a set and a break down to beat Caroline Garcia 3-6 6-3 6-2 levelling the tie to 1-1. 

Both players traded breaks in the first set before Garcia broke again in the eighth  game to win the first set 6-3. 

Garcia went up a break in the first game of the second set, but Raducanu reeled off six of the next seven games to win the second set 6-3. Raducanu broke twice in the third and fifth games and closed out the match with a smash at the net. 

During the second day Katie Boulter beat Clara Burel 7-5 6-0 to win the first tour-level clay-court match of her career, earning Great Britain a 2-1 lead. 

Raducanu came back from one set down to beat Diana Parry 4-6 6-1 7-6 (7-1) securing Great Britain a spot in the final with an unassailable 3-1 win. 

Parry earned an early break in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. Raducanu broke back in the third game and held serve in the fourth game to draw level to 2-2. Parry broke for the second time in the 10th game to close out the first set 6-4. Parry saved five of the six break points she faced, while Raducanu did not either of the two chances she faced. 

Raducanu went up an early break in the first game of the second set. The 2021 US Open champion withstood a five-deuce second game and saved a break point. The British player earned two breaks in the fifth and seventh games to win the second set 6-1. 

Raducanu won the last 14 points of the second set. 

Parry earned an early break in the first game of the third set. Raducanu reeled off four consecutive games to take a 4-1 lead with two breaks of serve. She served for the match at 5-4. 

Raducanu held two match points. Parry saved the first match point with a passing shot winner. Raducanu missed her second chance with a forehand error, before Parry broke back after a long backhand from Raducanu in the ninth game for 4-5. 

Raducanu fended off two break points to hold serve for 6-5. The British player earned two mini-breaks and forced an error with her forehand on her third match point to win the wrap up the tie-break 7-1 after 2 hours and 52 minutes. 

“To be able to play two matches like that back to back, it’s a testament to what I have been doing. I am just glad it was able to show”, said Raducanu. 

British captain Anne Kheotavong after Great Britain’s win over France. 

“I think it’s going to take a lot of work to wipe this smile off my smile. What a win ! The atmosphere was just absolutely rocking. Katie and Emma came out to play. They put out some fantastic performances against tough opposition. I am just chuffed for the team, we came out and we knew it was going to be difficult to be the underdogs, but we came, we performed and we are all leaving with a big smile on our face”, said Anne Kheotavong. 

Japan, Australia and Slovakia also secured their spot for the Billie Jean King Cup Final. 

Japan went ahead Kazakhstan 3-0 over Kazakhstan. The Japanese team did not need Naomi Osaka to play a second match on an indoor hard court in Tokyo. Osaka beat Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva 6-2 7-6 (7-5). Nao Hibino beat Putintseva 6-4 3-6 7-6 (9-7) on Saturday. Putintseva held four consecutive match points in the tie-break of the third set. Hibino saved them to win the tie-break 9-7 to seal a 3-0 lead for Japan. Hibino won her second win at this year’s edition of the Bille Jean King Cup Qualifiers after beating Anna Danilina 6-1 6-0 on Friday. 

Australia went up 3-0 over Mexico to book their spot in the Finals on an outdoor court in Brisbane. Eighteen-year-old Taylah Preston secured the decisive point with a 6-1 6-1 win over Mexico’s Marcela Zacarias. 

Preston won 73% of Zacarias’ second serve points and broke six times. 

Slovakia, Billie Jean King Cup champions in 2022, qualified for the Finals when 16-year-old Renata Jamrichova, Australian Open Junior champion in 2024, beat Veronika Erjavic 6-2 6-0 in 64 minutes, on an indoor court in Bratislava to earn a 3-0 win over Slovenia.

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Novak Djokovic reaches the semifinal in Monte-Carlo for the first time since 2015

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Novak Djokovic beat Alex De Minaur 7-5 6-4 in 2 hours and four minutes to reach the semifinal at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters for the first time since his triumph in 2015. 

Djokovic avenged his recent defeat to De Minaur at the United Cup to improve to 2-1 in his three head-to-head matches against his Australian opponent. 

Djokovic converted five of his eleven break points. De Minaur saved five of the six break points he faced. 

Djokovic faced two break points in the opening game, but he saved them and held serve after De Minaur made a backhand error. Both players went on serve without facing any break points until the ninth game. De Minaur squandered game points as he was serving to stay in the set at 4-5. The Australian player saved a set point with a forehand winner and held serve. Djokovic saved a break point to hold serve in the 11th game after a forehand error. 

De Minaur fended off two set points at 5-6. Djokovic converted his third break after a loose drop shot from De Minaur to seal the first set 7-5. 

There were five straight breaks in the second set. Djokovic earned his fourth break point in the sixth game after De Minaur sent a backhand long. Djokovic went up a 40-15 lead in the seventh game, but De Minaur fought back by winning four straight points to break back for 4-3. Both players held serve in the eighth and ninth games. De Minaur served to stay in the match at 4-5. Djokovic clinched his fourth break of the set to book his spot in the semifinal. 

“It was tough for both of us. He is one of the quickest players on Tour. He gets a lot of balls back that normally 99% of other players don’t. He did not surprise me with several passing shots. Particularly in the second set when I was up a break, but he said at the net it was ugly. The second set I think it was. We did not play at the high level and made a lot of unforced errors, him and I, and a lot of breaks of serve. It is kind of expected on clay but maybe not this many, but a win is a win but I am happy to be through”, said Djokovic. 

Djokovic set up a semifinal clash against Casper Ruud, who  recovered from losing the second set to beat Ugo Humbert 6-3 4-6 6-1. 

Ruud broke twice in the fifth and ninth games to win the first set 6-3. The Norwegian player went up a set and a break at 6-3 2-0, but Humbert won four consecutive games to take a 4-2 lead with two breaks of serve. Ruud held on his next two service games to win the second set 6-4. 

Ruud broke serve in the fourth and sixth games and served out the win on his second match point. 

“It was tough. It was back and forth. I started great and I was up 6-3 2-0 after 50 minutes. I was playing really good tennis and then I stumbled a bit. I lost maybe ten points in a row at one point there, so I had to try and stop the bleeding. I was not able to in the second set, but in the third set I was a bit fortunate I got the break early and then saved a few break points. God knows how, but luckily they landed inside the lines”, said Ruud. 

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