(MENAFN- Kora) The visiting kazakhs were two sets away from the world group semi-finals when mikhail kukushkin took the opening set of his reverse singles rubber against the third-ranked wawrinka.but the australian open champion rallied impressively to win in four sets before 17-time major winner federer beat andrey golubev in straight sets to seal the tie for the hosts in geneva.
Federer said wawrinka was always going to improve on his performances across the first two days of the tie when he lost both rubbers he competed in.
"it's great. i was hoping so much i was going to get a chance to play and not just watch stan play" federer said.
"i got the opportunity and i'm happy i lived up to the hype and the expectations and i was able to get the boys through so very happy for them.
"i was confident but not silly confident but respectful confident towards the opponent (we could do it).
"i knew stan was going to play better than friday and i thought as well that he was going to do a better job with rhythm and against the type of player kukushkin was he'd find a way. that's what happened. it was tough for him for a long time."
Federer said his improved form over an extended period gave him belief he could outmuscle golubev who had put kazakhstan within touching distance of a win after beating wawrinka and commandeering their doubles triumph.
"personally for me i just felt i was playing such great tennis the last six months that i would find a way as well and i did. it's a relief but it was a great feeling" federer said.
Wawrinka said he felt he was playing well against kukushkin despite dropping the opening set and he held firm in the face of potential crisis.
"i think i was doing the right thing" wawrinka said of his first set.
"i was playing better than him and he had to play at his best and i knew if i would keep the same level it would be difficult for him to play a five-set match like this and that's what happened.
"i started to play even more aggressive make more winners come to the net and i took my chances when i had them at the end. i am really happy with the match."
Losing kazakhstan skipper dias doskarayev said their brave efforts on away soil would propel the nation in their future exploits in the illustrious team competition.
"overall it was fantastic no matter how the result went" doskarayev said.
"we ended up losing but the score doesn't matter the fact that we hung in and gave a battle. this weekend will have a lasting effect.
"even though we lost we accomplished something huge. of course it will take time to sink in but we can find out that we can develop tennis more. we can get our guys on tv and in interviews and people will find out more about tennis and that's what we're trying to do."
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.