Argentina-Kazakhstan, for the Davis Cup, LIVE: Fran Cerúndolo opens the series in Rosario, minute after minute

The Argentine tennis team has a dream: to win its second Silver Salad Davis Cup. To do this, first, they will have to beat Kazakhstan this weekend in a series that will be played, for the first time, in the Santa Fe city of Rosario. As established by the draw, this Saturday it will be Francisco Cerúndolo, 22nd in the ranking, who will open the series – starting at 11:00 and broadcast on television by TyC Sports – against Dmitry Popko, 338th.

Then it will be the turn of Tomas Etcheverry28th and who beat Sebastián Báez for that place, will clash Timofey Skatov, 278°. For a couple of seasons, singles matches have been played in the best of three sets.

Was Coria’s decision to seat Báez for matchday one surprising? Yes, especially because Sebas – who had just played the third round of the Australia Open and lost against Jannik Sinner – had demonstrated an excellent level of training in recent days. On Thursday he even won a set against Cerúndolo. But the captain explained that the choice responded to a tactical question.

“We thought about everything a bit. It wasn’t easy at all, I find myself in a situation that every captain would like to have. The three of them are very good, they have a lot of fun and are ready to play, because they have adapted “This was the first series where we took an extra day to inform the kids of the decision. And the decision was one hundred percent tactical, also thinking a little about the strategy”, explained Coria.

Sunday will open with the doubles duel that Máximo González and Andrés Molteni will play at 11am against Aleksandr Nedovyesov and Skatov. After the match there will be a duel between the singles numbers 1 of each team, Cerúndolo and Skatov. And, if necessary, the fight will be played between the number 2, which would be Etcheverry and Popko. Although, as anticipated by Coria and as the regulation allows, there could be some changes in the lineup for that day, so Báez could take the field in one of those individual matches.

The Argentines did not hide their position as favourites, aware of the enormous difference in the standings with their rivals and of the two significant defeats with which the Kazakh team arrived. That of Alexander Bublik, 27th and their best player, who was called up but decided to play this week at the ATP in Montpellier with the aim of continuing to accumulate points to try to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games. And the Denis Evseev157th, who has already suffered discomfort in Rosario and will not play any matches, according to reports Yuri Schukincaptain of the Asian team.