Alexander Shevchenko secures first point for Kazakhstan in Davis Cup

Kazakhstani tennis player Alexander Shevchenko edged past Thailand’s Maximus Jones 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 in a hard-fought opening Davis Cup match in Astana.

After losing three consecutive ties to Argentina, South Korea and Monaco, Kazakhstan’s national team dropped to in World Group II, the Davis Cup’s third tier. Notably, Alexander Bublik led the team in the last two ties.

The Shevchenko-Jones match showed that Kazakhstan won’t have an easy time against Thailand. After taking the first set 6-4, Shevchenko lost three points in a row at the start of the second. His return game fell apart, he grew nervous, started appealing to the umpire and lost the set 1-6.

Despite the significant gap in the rankings, the Thai player adapted to his opponent’s game and repeatedly outplayed the Kazakhstani from the baseline and with well-placed drop shots. His serve was also powerful.

Shevchenko fixed his serve in the third set. But Jones played almost flawlessly and didn’t let up. In the 12th game, Shevchenko pulled off a break, winning to love, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 in 2 hours and 2 minutes.

The day’s other match pits Timofey Skatov against Kasidit Samrej. On Saturday, the doubles will open the day, with Denis Yevseyev and Beibit Zhukayev facing Thanapet Chanta and Pruchya Isaro.