GENEVA: Roger Federer pulled Switzerland level against Kazakhstan in their Davis Cup quarter-final after Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka had slumped to a shock defeat in Geneva.
World number four Federer, the 17-time Grand Slam title winner, swept past 56th-ranked Mikhail Kukushkin, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 to leave the tie level at 1-1 after the first day.
Earlier, Wawrinka, the world number three, was stunned by unfancied Andrey Golubev, the world’s 64th ranked player, in a 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5) shock.
“It was a great match I think for me,” an understated Golubev said after one of his biggest career wins.
“I played well, it was not easy but I’m happy that I won. The key was to try and be aggressive and not to give him too much time. I think I did good.”
Today, Wawrinka and Federer will take on Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Evgeny Korolev in the doubles. The eventual winners of the tie will face either Italy or Great Britain in September’s semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final with Italy was in the balance yesterday when poor light halted play during the second rubber between Britain’s Andy Murray and Italian Andreas Seppi in Naples. Hosts Italy earlier took a 1-0 lead in the World Group tie when national number one Fabio Fognini beat James Ward, ranked 161 in the world, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Murray, who suffered a stomach bug on Thursday, battled to win the first set on the red clay of Tennis Club Napoli, but the Briton was pushed all the way in a closely-fought second set.
Murray had to save four set points on his way to eventually levelling the set at 5-5, after which officials halted play due to poor light.
The match will resume today when Simone Bolelli and Paolo Lorenzi are also scheduled to meet British pair Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins in the doubles.
In Tokyo, title holders the Czech Republic established an iron grip on their Davis Cup quarter-final tie against a weakened Japan, with Radek Stepanek and Lukas Rosol battling for wins in front of a buzzing Tokyo crowd.
Despite missing world number five Tomas Berdych, the Czechs had expected to dominate a Japan side shorn of talisman Kei Nishikori through injury.
Despite a scare Stepanek beat Tatsuma Ito 6-7, 7-6, 6-1, 7-5 in the opening rubber, and Rosol toiled to overcome Nishikori’s replacement Taro Daniel 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2 as the visitors closed in on a semi-final clash with Germany or France in September.
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