Cuevas hits back after Statham wins opening singles rubber in Davis Cup tie

Friday, 04 March 2022

New Zealand and Uruguay are level at 1-1 after the opening day’s singles matches in the Davis Cup World Group 1 playoff in Las Vegas.

Uruguay’s number one Pablo Cuevas has beaten Kiwi number two Ajeet Rai 6-4 6-2 in the second singles rubber after Rubin Statham had given New Zealand the best possible start with a 6-4 6-2 victory over Ignacio Carou in the opening match.

Cuevas was always going to be a strong favourite against Rai. The Uruguayan has won six ATP singles titles, has been ranked as high as 19 in the world (in 2016) and even at 36 years old, is still ranked 106 compared to Rai. (918)

But the Kiwi started well, serving big and shortening the points in the opening stanza with Cuevas’s dominant in the longer rallies. However, his service percentage dropped in the 9th game and Cuevas pounced, grabbing the decisive break before closing out the set.

Cuevas broke immediately in the second set and led 2-0 having not been troubled on serve. But after holding serve to get on the board in the second set, a more aggressive Rai found a way to break back and get back on serve only to drop serve again after serving at 40-0. There would be no way back this time as Cuevas broke serve again and went on to close out the straight sets win in an hour and one minute.

Rubin Statham earlier played superbly to win the first point for New Zealand. He broke serve in the 5th game of the first set and went on to take it 6-4 in 39 minutes in windy conditions. His opponent, 23-year-old Carou had been a late replacement for Martin Cuevas who was struck down with Covid during the week.

Carou, ranked 698 in the world was no match from the back of the court for Statham who coped better with the conditions and served superbly throughout.

The Veteran Kiwi who is New Zealand’s most capped Davis Cup player of all time, playing his 33rd tie, took control early in the second set going up a double break and he went on to complete a comfortable victory in an hour and 19 minutes.

The doubles and reverse singles rubbers are tomorrow. Michael Venus and Artem Sitak are scheduled to play against Carou and Ariel Behar but New Zealand captain Kelly Evernden thinks Uruguay will switch out Carou for Pablo Cuevas. It’s a crucial match in the context of the tie and Venus the world number 15 and Sitak will start as favourites. Victory would give New Zealand a genuine chance of winning the tie with Statham to face Cuevas and Rai to meet Carou in the reverse singles matches following the doubles.

Play is due to start at 6am tomorrow morning NZT.

The winner of the World Group 1 playoff tie advances to September’s World Group qualifiers while the loser is relegated to World Group 2.

 

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