By deciding to line up Miomir Kecmanovic instead of Dusan Lajovic or Filip Krajinovic for the first match of the Davis Cup meeting between Serbia and Kazakhstan, the Serbian captain was betting on surprise and freshness against a Mikhail Aging Kukushkin.
Very badly started, the protégé of David Nalbandian conceded the first round in the decisive game by playing very far from his line. Broken from the start of the second set, the lights were red for the Serbian team, whose captain Troicki was starting to seriously slack on the bench. But caught by the stake at 4-3, the Kazakh made a very bad play to let return an opponent who did not ask for so much. A set everywhere, ball in the center.
On the momentum of this second set won, Kecmanovic was the most solid and offered two match points on his serve at 5–3. We say to ourselves that the match is over but the Serbian, like the Kazakh, is terrified by the stakes and by the pressure to bring a first decisive point to his team. Finally broken up, Miomir neutralizes himself with Mikhail and the two men will therefore play an inevitable tie-break of all dangers.
And it is after an unbearable suspense that Kukushkin ends up winning after having obtained four match points, the fifth being finally the right one. A victory, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (11), which allows Kazakhstan to glean the first point against Serbia before the long-awaited duel between the two number 1, Alexander Bublik and Novak Djokovic . As much to tell you that it promises!
Posted on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at 19:31
