Minsk hosts match of Europe/Africa Zone Group II between Belarus and Denmark
Ilya Ivashko — hero of Belarus-Denmark match
Ilya Ivashko has become the hero of the match: on the first day of the competition he defeated Andreas Bjerrehus with ease in three sets — showing excellent form.
In the fourth match, he beat Denmark’s Frederik Nielsen in a tough in five sets with the score 3:2 (6:4, 4:6, 7:5, 5:7, 6:4). As a result, the Belarusian men’s team celebrated a 3:1 victory. Experienced Nielsen made mistakes at the beginning of the match, while the Belarusian managed to create a break on his rival’s serve — winning the open set. The intense match lasted for over 2.5 hours and in the final fifth set, Ilya showed his strength on serves. Thanks to his keen baseline play, success was assured.
On the second day of competition, the Belarusian duo of Max Mirnyi and Yaroslav Shilo defeated Denmark’s Frederik Nielsen and Thomas Kromann — 6:2, 6:4, 4:6, 6:2. As a result, the Belarusian team won this Davis Cup match — celebrating victory in three matches out of five.
This year, Belarusian tennis players have initially defeated the Egyptians in Cairo and then, in Minsk, proved stronger than the Latvians. Thanks to their victory over Denmark, the Belarusian men’s team will perform next year in the Europe/Africa Group I of the Davis Cup.
By Igor Svitov
