New Zealand claim Davis Cup victory over Georgia in Palmerston North

New Zealand have secured their Davis Cup World Group II tie against Georgia, with James Watt clinching the winning point in the fourth rubber at Fly Palmy Arena in Palmerston North on Sunday.

Watt defeated Aleksandre Bakshi 7-6(3) 6-2 to give New Zealand a 3-1 victory, following earlier victories in singles and doubles across the weekend. 

Earlier in the day, Ajeet Rai and Finn Reynolds won an epic match against Bakshi and Alexandre Metreveli 5-7 6-2 7-6(4).

The result means New Zealand will advance to a World Group I playoff next year, while Georgia will head to a World Group II playoff.

On Saturday, Watt had marked his debut by defeating Zura Tkemaladze in the opening rubber. A day later he repeated the feat with a confident performance against Bakshi, Georgia’s highest-ranked available player.

Serving dictated the early stages of the match, but Watt struck first when Bakshi double-faulted on break point at 2-3. The Kiwi had a chance to close out the set when serving at 5-3 but was broken back, and the contest moved to a tiebreak.

Watt led 4-2 at the change of ends and clinched the opener when Bakshi sent a forehand wide into the ad court. 

The second set began strongly for the 2.09-metre New Zealander, who secured an early break. He faltered briefly at 2-1, conceding his advantage, but immediately broke back and then struck again two games later when Bakshi double-faulted on another break point.

With his serve proving decisive — he finished with 13 aces — Watt gave Bakshi no way back, sealing the match with a final unreturned delivery to secure the tie for New Zealand.

Earlier, Rai and Reynolds put New Zealand in front with a tense doubles victory.

After losing the opening set 5-7, the Kiwi pairing recovered to take the second 6-2. They surged ahead 5-1 in the decider but failed to convert match points on Reynolds’ serve and then on Bakshi’s, before Rai was broken.

The contest went to a tiebreak, where Metreveli mishit an angled volley at 4-4 to hand New Zealand the initiative. On their third match point, Rai’s serve drew an error from Metreveli at the net, giving the hosts a 2-1 lead in the tie.

The opening day had ended level at 1-1. Watt’s debut win over Tkemaladze gave New Zealand a promising start, but Bakshi responded by defeating Jack Loutit in straight sets to keep Georgia in contention.

With Watt’s second singles victory sealing the tie on Sunday afternoon, New Zealand completed a 3-1 win, making the scheduled fifth rubber between Loutit and Tkemaladze unnecessary.

The result moves New Zealand closer to taking on some of the biggest nations in tennis, while New Zealand captain Artem Sitak has continued successfully refreshing the team with a group of young players who can be part of this squad for many years to come.