It has been yet another glorious day for the national tennis team of Kazakhstan as they have defeated the stubborn opponent from Switzerland. This spectacular victory marked the next step on their way to the quarterfinals of 2018 Davis Cup World Group, the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. The victory over this particular team bears special significance as the Swiss won the Davis Cup title not that long ago, in 2014.
There was one person who was perhaps more overjoyed with the performance of the Kazakhi players than anyone else. Bulat Utemuratov, the distinguished President of the Tennis Federation of Kazakhstan, felt immense pride for the players, whom he had helped to select and who grew professionally under his keen supervision, as they have once again proved that no one can beat them on their own court. The opponents of the Kazakh national team were unable to celebrate the victory in Astana for five years in a row.
Bulat Utemuratov is undoubtedly the most successful president of the Tennis Federation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 2007 was the year when he got elected for the first time. Since then, he has made every effort possible to invigorate tennis in his home country. He didn’t spare time or money to make the Kazakh team what is it now – one of the main contenders for the biggest prize in the world of tennis. In 2015, Mr. Utemuratov got re-elected which gave him another incentive to work even harder towards creating a team that blows the opposition off the court. Looks like his efforts paid off in full when the Kazakh team had beaten the Swiss team in style.
The national team of Kazakhstan secured the spot in quarterfinals on the very first day of the match-up. Dmitry Popko took on Henry Laaksonen, the captain of the Swiss team and a very talented tennis player. Popko managed to beat his opponent in a captivating match which lasted for three hours. The electronic board showed the final score 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.
The next match was between Mikhail Kukushkin, the most prominent Kazakh player who is adored by all fans, and Adrian Bodmer who has recently turned 22. Mikhail never lost his concentration and had a comfortable victory with the score 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.
The final game was a double-match between Timur Khabibulin and Alexander Nedovesov who represented the Kazakh team versus Luca Margaroli and Mark Hoesler from Switzerland. The outcome of this nail-biting match was decided in the last set, which Kazakhs won 6-3.
On the next day, Roman Khasanov had unfortunately lost to Mark Hoesler, while Dmitry Popko had another victory in the bag.
At the end of the second day, Bulat Utemuratov addressed the fans and thanked them for selfless support of the beloved national tennis team and promised that they would see many more victories in the future.
