Deprived of Novak Djokovic, having chosen to skip the qualifying round of the Davis Cup after the elimination in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, the Serbs completely foundered on the clay court of Kraljevo (central Serbia) facing to modest Slovakia. Viktor Troicki’s men took a slap (4-0) and left the competition through the back door.
Miomir Kecmanovic and Dusan Lajovic had to guide their team but failed in this task this Friday. A 7-6 defeat [2], 6-2 for the first in the opening against Lukas Klein while the second lost in three sets (4-6, 6-2, 6-0) against Alex Molcan. The decisive doubles tilted in favor of the Slovak pair Lukas Klein – Igo Zelenay who defeated Nikola Cacic and Miomir Kecmanovic (7-6 [4]6-3), sealing Slovakia’s surprise qualification.
To make matters worse, Laslo Djere was playing for nothing against Lukas Pokorny but gave up at 4-3. Already the author of an exploit against Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Greece during the 2023 play-offs, Slovakia confirms its rise to power in world tennis and qualifies for the final phase for the first time.
