By Michelle Pickles
The New Zealand Davis Cup tennis team begin their group 1 tie against Uzbekistan in Tauranga tomorrow.
A win would set up a tie against India later in the year but standing in their way is one of Uzbekistan’s most famous athletes and a player ranked in the world’s top 60 tennis players.
Ranked at 58 in the world, Denis Istomin is one of the best players New Zealand has had to face in a Davis Cup tie.
“When you come to court you don’t think about the ranking – you just try to play and show the good tennis,” says Istomin.
Istomin will play Rubin Statham, who is ranked a lowly 554 in the first singles rubber, but the match that New Zealand may target as more winnable will be the second singles match when Michael Venus, ranked at 357, will take on Farrakh Dustov, ranked 247.
New Zealand welcomed their opponents with a haka today, but the Uzbekistan players seemed to be more afraid of the home court advantage than the Maori war dance.
A win for the Kiwis would see them take on the highly reanked India in April.
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