The draw for the Kazakhstan-Monaco tie in World Group I of the Davis Cup was held in Astana. The national team leaders, Alexander Bublik and Valentin Vacherot, will face each other on the second day of the round, on Feb. 7. Previously, last October, the Monégasque sensationally stunned the Kazakhstani in Shanghai.
That victory (6-3, 3-6, 4-6) proved pivotal for Vacherot, who ultimately won the ATP 1000 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters, rising to world No. 40 after starting at 204th. Currently, Monaco’s player stands 27th, and Bublik — 10th in the ATP rankings.
At the Australian Open 2026 in Melbourne, Vacherot reached the third round, and the Kazakhstani reached the fourth. Their clash is expected to be spectacular.
Nevertheless, the match may not be decisive. There is even a possibility that their showdown may not even happen if one of the teams takes a 3-0 lead beforehand.
On the first match day, Feb. 6, Vacherot will face Kazakhstan’s second-ranked player, Alexander Shevchenko. Bublik, in turn, will play Hugo Nys, who is not particularly experienced in singles.
The opening match of Feb. 7 is scheduled as the doubles clash: Alexander Bublik/Beibit Zhukayev vs. Hugo Nys/Romain Arneodo. The tournament’s rules allow the replacement of any player in the roster immediately before the match.
Kazakhstan’s men’s national team ended up outside the top tier of the Davis Cup after losing two ties in a row. In February 2024, Kazakhstan’s players were defeated by Argentina away, 2-3. In September 2025, they lost to South Korea away, 1-3. Bublik did not play in South America and in South Korea he was unable to finish his match due to injury.
Under tradition, ahead of the match, Kazakhstan’s national team players held a master class for young tennis players in Astana, along with autograph and photo sessions.
