New Zealand and Georgia level after first day of Davis Cup tie

New Zealand and Georgia are locked at 1-1 after the opening day of their Davis Cup World Group II tie at Fly Palmy Arena in Palmerston North.

James Watt gave the hosts a perfect start with victory in the opening rubber on Saturday, but Georgia hit back in the second singles as Aleksandre Bakshi defeated Jack Loutit 6-3 6-3 to leave the tie evenly poised heading into Sunday’s rubbers.

Making his first appearance for New Zealand, Watt displayed composure and confidence to beat Zura Tkemaladze 6-2 7-6(2) in one hour 36 minutes.

Ranked 569 in the world, Watt was favoured against his Georgian opponent, who sits at 944, and he quickly imposed himself. His serving proved effective early, allowing him to hold comfortably while Tkemaladze laboured through his own service games.

The breakthrough came in the sixth game of the opening set, when Watt moved to the net and placed a forehand into open court to secure the break. Two games later, a double fault from Tkemaladze handed Watt the set 6-2.

The second set brought more resistance. Tkemaladze broke Watt for a 4-3 lead and later served for the set at 5-4. Watt broke back immediately with a smash at the net, forcing a tiebreak. From there the Kiwi took control, racing to a 4-2 lead and clinching victory with a serve to the body that Tkemaladze could not return.

The win gave New Zealand early momentum in a tie that sees the winner progress to the World Group I playoffs next year, while the loser drops into the World Group II playoff round.

But New Zealand’s hopes of carrying a two-rubber lead into Sunday were dashed when Bakshi, Georgia’s highest-ranked available player, defeated teenager Loutit in straight sets.

The match began scrappily, with both players struggling to hold serve. Loutit was broken in the third game but immediately broke back. 

A similar pattern was repeated until 4-3, when Bakshi consolidated a break and then capitalised and then broke again two games later to take the opening set. The Georgian benefitted from a touch of fortune on set point when his shot clipped the net cord and dribbled over, leaving Loutit stranded.

Loutit, however, gained some momentum with a strong hold early in the second set. But Bakshi’s athleticism and court coverage continued. He broke for a 2-1 lead and, although he was forced to save two break points in his next service game, he extended his advantage to 5-2.

The Kiwi showed grit to break back and then called for a medical timeout at the change of ends to receive treatment for a back issue. 

He held serve for 3-5 but could not stave off defeat. Bakshi sealed the match with a deft drop shot, which Loutit chased in vain at full stretch.

The tie resumes on Sunday with the doubles rubber, where Ajeet Rai and Finn Reynolds are slated to face Georgian captain David Kvernadze and Alexandre Metreveli from midday. The reverse singles will follow, with Watt scheduled to play Bakshi and Loutit down to meet Tkemaladze, although Davis Cup rules allow both captains to change their line-ups on the day.