Serbia snuck into the Davis Cup quarterfinals as the runner-up out of Group F. The reward for Novak Djokovic and company is a showdown against Kazakhstan on Wednesday, with the winner to meet Serbia in the semis.
(SRB) Novak Djokovic vs. (KAZ) Alexander Bublik
Djokovic and Bublik will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Wednesday. Bublik was one of the stars of round-robin competition last week, when he led Kazakhstan to a 2-0 record and victory in Group F. The world No. 36 overcame Mikael Ymer of Sweden 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 and then held off Canada’s Vasek Pospisil 6-2, 7-6(6) in a contentious contest one day later.
Although Bublik has the kind of game that can trouble almost anyone when it is working, this is not a good matchup for him. It isn’t a good matchup for anyone, of course. Djokovic’s return of serve is the best in the game, which is especially bad news for a player like Bublik who relies on that weapon. The top-ranked Serb has had no trouble so far in the Davis Cup Finals, cruising to victories over Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff and Dennis Novak. There is no reason to think that anything will be different against Bublik.
Pick: Djokovic in 2 losing 5-7 games
(SRB) Filip Krajinovic vs. (KAZ) Mikhail Kukushkin
Serbia could also go with Dusan Lajovic for No. 2 singles; neither option is terrible, but neither option is great. Krajinovic lost to Dominik Koepfer 7-6(4), 6-4 during the Serbs’ loss to Germany, while Lajovic needed three tight sets to beat Austria’s Gerald Melzer one day earlier. Serbia ended up sweeping Austria 3-0, but the loss of one match would have prevented it from advancing to the quarterfinals as a wild card. Lajovic managed to avoid disaster, but it was far from impressive.
If Krajinovic is the choice, he will be facing Kukushkin for the second time. Their only previous encounter came two years ago at the Indian Wells Masters, where the Kazakh crashed out via a 6-3, 6-4 decision. Kukushkin is 1-1 so far in the Davis Cup Finals, with a bad loss to Sweden’s Elias Ymer and a less than convincing 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-5 defeat of Canadian underdog Brayden Schnur. Given the world No. 182’s struggles and the pressure of this surely being a must-win rubber, he is probably in line for a loss regardless of whom Serbia puts on the court.
Pick: Krajinovic in 3
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Joker and kvic…..a fairly easy win for both.
As one commentator put it, Serbia is a lucky, lucky, LUCKY loser. But surely they aren’t going to play themselves if, as they surely will, they win vs Kazarkstan?