Sport - Tennis

Bopanna to play first rubber

ALMATY: Rohan Bopanna will take on Dmitriy Makeyev in the opening rubber of the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania group `I' play-off tie at the Baganashil indoor sports complex here on Friday. The two have not met before in the ITF international circuit.

Karan Rastogi will challenge the Kazakh No.1 Alexei Kedriouk, on the hard courts at his backyard, in the second rubber. The two have a 2-2 win-loss record against each other in the professional circuit. Kedriouk had won the last meeting last year in three sets.

In doubles, skipper Leander Paes will partner Bopanna against Kedriouk and Makeyev who had helped Kazakhstan beat teams like Indonesia, Kuwait and New Zealand last year.

Kedriouk may have a psychological edge against his doubles partner Bopanna, as he had beaten him once in the circuit and rather comprehensively once again in the Asian Championship at Tashkent two years ago.

The two will face each other in the first reverse singles to be played on Sunday. While India had lost to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan had lost to Korea in the first round matches played in the zone in February.

The loser of the current tie will have another play-off against the loser of the match between China and Chinese Taipei.

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