Kazakhstan pounces on Austria in Davis Cup
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Andrey Golubev and Evgeny Korolev were opening singles winners Friday, as host Kazakhstan jumped on Austria for a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five opening-round Davis Cup tie.
Golubev got the hosts going with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) victory over Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer, while the second rubber on Day 1 saw Korolev cut down left-hander Jurgen Melzer in straight sets, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-2, at Astana's National Tennis Centre.
The Kazakhstans can clinch here on Saturday in the doubles match on the indoor red clay, as a tandem of Golubev and Yuri Schukin takes on an Austrian pairing of Julian Knowle and Alexander Peya.
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Sunday's potentially meaningless reverse singles currently call for Golubev to face Melzer and Korolev to battle Haider-Maurer.
Team Austria is captained by Clemens Trimmel, while the Kazakhstans are led by Dias Doskarayev. This is the first-ever meeting between the two nations in Davis Cup play.
The winner in Astana will move on to face either the Czech Republic or Switzerland in the quarterfinals.