Kazakh junior tennis team finishes second at Junior Davis Cup qualifiers

In the decisive match for the regional title, the Kazakh team narrowly lost to third-seeded Australia.

The hosts made a promising start to the tie as Akhmadi Makhanov defeated Ethan Domingo 7:5, 6:4 in the opening singles match. Australia leveled the score through Taiki Takizawa, who beat Ansar Niyetkaliyev 6:3, 6:1.

The decisive doubles match saw Makhanov and Rodion Traigel put up a strong fight in the opening set before falling to the Takizawa–Domingo pair 5:7, 2:6.

In the match for third place, top-seeded Japan defeated India 2:0.

Kazakhstan’s juniors posted a perfect record during the group stage, finishing first in their group after defeating Turkmenistan (3:0), Pakistan (3:0), and South Korea (2:1).

Kazakhstan secured a top-four finish and qualification for the Junior Davis Cup final stage with a 2:0 quarterfinal victory over Hong Kong, before continuing its impressive run with a 2:0 semifinal win over India.

Kazakhstan was represented by Ansar Nietkaliyev, Akhmadi Makhanov, and Rodion Traigel under team captain Sergey Kvak.

The top six teams in the final standings were Australia, Kazakhstan, Japan, India, South Korea, and Uzbekistan.

The Junior Davis Cup final stage, featuring the four best teams from the region, will take place this autumn. Sixteen of the world’s strongest junior national teams are expected to compete, with the venue to be announced later by the International Tennis Federation.

The tournament was hosted at Beeline Arena with the support of the Shymkent city administration.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Samirkhon Ababakirov (-63 kg), Yerkebulan Yensegenov (-54 kg), Nazym Makhmutova (-73 kg), and Eldar Birimbay (-74 kg) had secured a bronze medal at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.