Zhukayev advances to second round of ATP Challenger in Astana
Kazakhstan's Beibit Zhukayev has defeated his compatriot Amir Omarkhanov in the first round of the ATP Challenger 50 tournament in Astana, Qazinform News Agency cites the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation.
The main draw matches of the ATP Challenger 50 tournament got underway at the Beeline Arena National Tennis Center as part of the traditional President's Cup.
In one of the first-round highlights, two Kazakh players faced off – Amir Omarkhanov, who received a wild card from the organizers, and Beibit Zhukayev, returning to competition after a long injury layoff.
The match lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes and ended with Zhukayev winning 6-4, 6-4.
Beibit Zhukayev fired five aces, committed five double faults, and converted five of nine break points. As for Omarkhanov, he recorded four aces, nine double faults, and converted two of four break points.
In the second round, Zhukayev will face Türkiye's Mert Alkaya, ranked 299th in the world. The match takes place on August 12.
Another Kazakh player, Zangar Nurlanuly, also played his opening match. Facing China's Fajing Sun (ranked 326th), Nurlanuly lost 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 after leveling the match following the first set.
On August 12, representatives of Kazakhstan will continue their campaign in the doubles draw. Amir Omarkhanov will partner with Danial Rakhmatullayev, while Grigoriy Lomakin will team up with Petr Bar Biryukov.
Earlier, Kazakhstan’s No. 1 singles player, Elena Rybakina, advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 WTA 1000 National Bank Open tournament in Toronto
