The past weekend wasn't short on achievements, with the domestic tennis scene celebrating numerous career firsts and impressive performances at premier sports events. The national men’s team defeated Bulgaria in the qualifications for the 2023 Davis Cup and is now awaiting their next challenger. Additionally, Aruzhan Sagandykova's victory at the ITF tournament in Tunisia marks her first title since graduating from junior tennis.
Check out this and more achievements in the sports digest by QazMonitor below.
Kazakhstan defeats Bulgaria 3:1 in the 2023 Davis Cup qualifications
The national men’s tennis team defeated Team Bulgaria 3:1 in the 1st round of the 2023 Davis Cup World Group I in Sofia.
On September 16-17, the capital of Bulgaria hosted the 1st round of the premier international team event in men’s tennis.
The first match between Timofey Skatov and Dimitar Kuzmanov set the tone for the entire encounter, as the Kazakh player managed to secure a crucial first win with a score of 3:6, 6:4, 6:3. The following match between Alexander Bublik and Yanaki Milev further solidified the momentum of the Kazakh team with a score of 6:4, 6:1.
The Bulgarian team, however, didn’t go down without a fight, as the doubles match between the Kazakh duo of Alexander Bublik and Aleksandr Nedovyesov and the Bulgarian tag team of Alexander Donski and Alexandar Lazarov went in favor of the opponents with a score of 3:6, 3:6.
In the final fourth match between Alexander Bublik and Dimitar Kuzmanov, the Kazakh player broke through Kuzmanov’s solid defense and won with a score of 6:4, 7:6 (7:4), securing the national team a spot in the last qualification round of the Davis Cup 2023.
The last stage of qualification will take place in February 2024.
Aruzhan Sagandykova claims her first title at W15 Monastir since junior tennis years
In the grand finals of the W15 Monastir tournament in Tunisia, Aruzhan Sagandykova secured victory over India’s Vaishnavi Adkar with a score of 7:6 (8:6), 6:0, marking her first title since graduating from junior competitions
I am very happy to win this title, and I will cherish this memory forever. I want to express my gratitude to the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, my coaching staff, and, of course, my parents for their unwavering support and belief in me.
Sagandykova's victory in singles isn't the only noteworthy achievement in women's tennis, as Zhibek Kulambayeva partnered with Justina Mikulskyte won the W40 Skopje 2023 Tennis Tournament in North Macedonia. In the grand finals, the Kazakh-Lithuanian power duo bested the Saigo sisters Yukina and Rina from Japan with a score of 6:3, 6:4. This victory marked Kulambayeva's fifth ITF doubles title this year and the 24th in her career.
Furthermore, Yulia Putintseva reached the finals of the 2023 Japan Women's Open in Osaka. Paired with Anna Kalinskaya, the Kazakh-Russian pair faced defeat against the German-Ukrainian duo of Anna-Lena Friedsam and Nadiia Kichenok with a score of 6:7, 3:6. This event marked Putintseva's first-ever WTA doubles final in her career.