02/02/2024 15:00hs.
The wait is over: after 138 days, the Argentine National Team tennis returns to the field to compete Davis cup ante Kazakhstan. And this time it will not be to avoid relegation, but to seek a return to the World Group and, therefore, to get excited again about fighting until the end for the Silver Salad Bowl. In that sense, the weather could not be better to fuel the expectations of the fans who will fill the 3,500 seats that were available (everything is already sold) at the Jockey Club of Rosario, the city that will host the competition for the first time in history. . And this Friday the captains’ letters were known: Guillermo Coria surprised everyone and chose Francisco Cerúndolo (22nd) and Tomas Etcheverry (28th) as the singles for Saturday, while Yuriy Schukin chose Dmitry Popko (338°) now Timofey Skatov (278°).
Cerúndolo will open the series
from 11 and with transmission of TyC Sports, the main Argentine racket will be in charge of taking to the court to weigh their favoritism – and that of Argentina in general – in the series. Fran, who is not coming off a good start to the year, given that he won only one game out of the four played, was ratified by Coria. So far, the 25-year-old from Buenos Aires has two wins (both in 2023) and two defeats (both in 2022) in the competition and will try to get the best out of him against a rival who knows the surface and the country. Unlike his colleagues, Popko is acclimatized to Argentine conditions. The thing is that he was participating in the two challengers organized by the AAT at the Tenis Club Argentino during the first weeks of January. There, he reached a final and a semi-final.
Later, precisely 20 minutes after the opening match ends, it will be Etcheverry’s turn, who for the first time will play “for the points.” Although he became the last national tennis player to have debuted in the Davis Cup (he did so against Lithuania, in last year’s repechage), on that occasion he had played the fourth point when the duel was already defined by 3- 0. The one born in La Plata is on an upward curve in his career and is coming off a great participation in the Australian Open, where he reached the third round, an instance in which he lost to Novak Djokovic (1st). Before, he had dropped Andy Murray and Gael Monfils.
Tomy will have his match against Skatov. Photo: JUAN JOSE GARCIA
With this formation, the one who will not be present on day 1 will be Sebastián Báez (25th), also with great performances in Oceania and one of the best during the training week in Rosario. “I find myself in a situation that every captain would like to have, with several options, but it is not an easy decision. This was the first series in which we took one more day to inform the boys of the decision. The three of them are on equal terms. conditions, the three are in a great moment and the three adapted to the surface. It was a 100% tactical decision, thinking about the strategy,” explained the Magician, at a press conference.
The draw for the Davis Cup was held in the Municipality. Photo: JUAN JOSE GARCIA
In doubles, with the best possible couple
Sunday’s activity will begin at 11 with the doubles duel, scheduled with Máximo González (13th) and Andrés Molteni (13th), a couple that has just made the quarterfinals in Australia and that last year played the ATP Finals, against Skatov and Aleksandr Nedovyesov (48th, in doubles). Then, if necessary, singles 3 and 4 (fourth and fifth points) will be played between Cerúndolo and Skatov and Etcheverry vs. Popko.
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2024-02-02 18:00:15
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