Following the first day of the match, coach Vladimir Volchkov’s players beat Latvia 2:0, with Ilya Ivashko defeating Martins Podzus (6:4, 6:2, 7:5), and Yaroslav Shilo claiming victory over Mikelis Libietis — 6:2, 6:1, 6:3, ensuring a good advantage.
Ilya Ivashko
On the second day of the competition, luck was on Latvia’s side for the doubles, with experienced Belarusian Andrey Vasilevsky and Alexander Bury losing to Latvia’s Mikelis Libietis and Janis Podzus — 6:3, 3:6, 4:6, 6:7 (2:7). Thus, the third competition day was decisive.
Yaroslav Shilo
Coach Vladimir Volchkov played young Ilya Ivashko against Janis Podzus on the third day, with a winning result of 6:2, 7:5, 6:0. Yaroslav Shilo then defeated Rudolfs Mednis — 7:6, 6:3, leaving Belarus with a 4-1 victory. This is the third such victory for the Belarusian national team, sending them through to the next round in September, when they’ll face either Denmark or Finland, to fight for a place in Europe/Africa Group I.
By Igor Svitov
