Kazakhstani tennis experienced a remarkable September. Elena Rybakina became the first player in the country’s history to top the WTA rankings, and just days later in Astana, the men’s national team staged its own tennis drama on the courts of the Beeline Arena National Tennis Centre.
After the first day of play, things seemed to be going quite smoothly for Kazakhstan, with two singles victories giving them a 2–0 lead. However, that is what sets the Davis Cup apart from a standard tournament: winning a single match isn’t enough: the team has to go the entire distance. And, sometimes, a gained advantage can vanish just in a matter of hours.
That is exactly what happened in Astana. Thailand clawed back two points to level the tie, meaning the outcome would be decided in the fifth match. Timofey Skatov took to the court once again, fighting to keep his team’s right to continue in the Davis Cup World Group I.
Alexander Shevchenko was the first to step onto the court for Kazakhstan. His opponent was Maximus Parapol Jones, a player ranked significantly lower than the Kazakhstani: heading into the match, Shevchenko was ranked 93rd in the world, while Jones was 463rd. However, the opening rallies immediately demonstrated that a gap in rankings does not equate to a difference in fighting spirit. Shevchenko took the first set 6–4. In the second, Jones unexpectedly seized the initiative and responded winning the set 6–1. Everything had to be decided in the third set. It proved to be a classic Davis Cup encounter: tense and tightly contested, with the outcome uncertain until the very last moment. Shevchenko ultimately clinched the deciding set 7–5, after a match lasting two hours and three minutes.
The first point was secured. Yet, it likely became clear even then that Kazakhstan would not have an easy ride. Timofey Skatov took the court next, facing Kasidit Samrej. Skatov managed to avoid a third set in this match; he won the first set 6–4 and took the second to a tie-break (7–4). Thus, Kazakhstan finished the first day of play with a 2–0 lead. They needed to win just one more match out of the remaining three. On paper, it looked like a comfortable position. But sport rarely follows a script written on paper—especially in tournaments like the Davis Cup.
The morning of the second day of play began with a doubles match. Beibit Zhukayev and Denis Yevseyev lost to Pruchya Isaro and Maximus Jones 4–6, 6–3, 5–7. Thailand narrowed the deficit to 1–2. This defeat shifted the atmosphere of the tie; Kazakhstan now needed to win at least one of the two remaining singles matches.
Shevchenko was the first to have a chance to close the match. Indeed, the start of his encounter with Samrej was once again going in Kazakhstan’s favor; Alexander took the first set 6–1. It seemed that just one more set would seal the victory. However, Samrej had already demonstrated in his opening match that he had no intention of rolling over. The Thai player adjusted his game, played with greater confidence during rallies, and won the second set 6–2. He maintained the initiative in the third set and ultimately won the match: 1–6, 6–2, 6–3. The score was now tied at 2–2. And now, everything was starting all over again.
The deciding match featured the same two players who had effectively kicked off the tie: Timofey Skatov and Maximus Jones faced off against each other. For Jones, it was his second match of the day, while for Skatov, it was a decisive encounter on home soil. Skatov started confidently, securing an early break of serve. Kazakhstani took the first set 6–4, but Jones showed no signs of simply accepting defeat. In the second set, the Thai player managed to hold his ground, and with the score at 5–4, he had a chance to close out the set. Skatov had been leading but committed several errors, ultimately dropping the set 4–6.
Then came the third set – the deciding match that stood between Kazakhstan and victory, and between Thailand and a trip back home with a won tie. In the fifth game, Skatov managed to break Jones’s serve, albeit with some difficulty. He then consolidated the break to take a 4–2 lead. From there, he couldn’t afford to let his opponent back. Skatov withstood everything his opponent threw at him, winning 6–4, 4–6, 6–4. Kazakhstan won the tie 3–2.
After the match, Skatov spoke not so much about a brilliant victory as about relief.
“I feel relieved and happy now that we ultimately won. It was a very tough match. All the matches were tense; four of them went to three sets. It was very nerve-wracking.”
The encounter between the two countries was not a story where one team convincingly outplayed the other. On the contrary, Kazakhstan took a 2–0 lead, then let it slip away, and subsequently had to summon the strength for a decisive showdown. Moreover, Skatov found himself in a scenario tailor-made for a sports drama: playing the deciding match to secure a spot in World Group I.
At first glance, tennis can be broken down into statistics: rankings, scores, first-serve percentages, break points and sets won. Yet, as Alexander Shevchenko noted, there is a unique story behind every number, and it is always difficult to predict the outcome of a clash between players with different rankings.
Shevchenko himself opened the tournament against a significantly lower-ranked opponent but was forced to play three sets to prove his superiority. Skatov defeated Samrej, yet the very next day, Samrej beat Shevchenko. Jones first lost to Shevchenko, then helped Thailand win the doubles match, and – after a very short break – stepped back onto the court to face Skatov. Each time, players from both teams had to readjust. In this sense, tennis is a very honest sport. A previous match doesn’t help you win the next one. Rankings don’t automatically award points. A strong start to a set doesn’t guarantee winning it. And a 2–0 lead doesn’t mean the match is over.
The men’s tennis team experienced a rollercoaster of emotions over two days: confidence after the first day of play, tension following the doubles loss, a shocking turn of events in the Shevchenko-Samrej match, and, finally, the deciding duel. Kazakhstan didn’t secure this victory easily; they had to fight hard to claw it back. Timofey Skatov was the one who did it. His deciding match served as the final act of a two-day showdown that saw hardly any easy moments: four of the five matches went to three sets.
Looking at Kazakhstani tennis from a broader perspective, it is symbolic that this story unfolded right now. Just a few days ago, Elena Rybakina became the world number one, the first representative of Kazakhstan in history to top the global singles rankings. Then, in Astana, the men’s national team passed its own test of mettle, securing a spot in the Davis Cup World Group I playoffs.
Source: DKnews.kz
