TENNIS DAVIS CUP:NOTIONS OF winning this Davis Cup tie against Ukraine were badly gnawed in the run-in this week as Louk Sorensen pulled out due to a stomach injury that has not mended since he withdrew from the Wimbledon qualifiers. His back up John McGahan also twisted an ankle playing a tournament in Morocco to leave Ireland scrambling a little for their Europe/Africa Zone Group II match at Fitzwilliam yesterday.
Given that kink in the system, yesterday's games went as well as Ireland could have expected with the Irish number one, Conor Niland, crafting a straight sets win over Artem Smirnov before the promoted Colin O'Brien fell in straight sets to the 135-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky, the Ukraine's top player.
It means that the match hangs at 1-1 with the doubles rubber being played today and the two reverse singles on Sunday.
Niland's win over Smirnov in the first match of the day was an encouraging start on the carpet.
Although the 440-ranked Smirnov was a lefty, Niland had practiced all week with Irish left hander O'Brien which clearly gifted him with some useful intelligence.
The Limerick number one started with an ace, broke Smirnov in the second game and never really faltered on his way towards comfortably rolling over his opponent 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
While Niland played a sound all-round game and constantly had Smirnov's serve under pressure, the Ukrainian also held a self-destruct gene.
There were no statistics sheets after the match but had there been the unforced error count would have made for some frightening reading.
"I put in four or five first serves in the first game, hit an ace as well," said Niland. "That was a good start. He was also hitting unforced errors and that was a help. But I thought I played well."
Niland will have a more difficult task on Sunday when he meets Stakhovsky, who swept aside O'Brien 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. It was only the Malahide player's second time to face a player inside the top 200 and his second Davis Cup match.
With a serve that was misfiring and handing over too many double faults at crucial times, Stakhovsky was largely in control. A double fault in the first set put Stakhovsky at 5-3 and serving for the set, which he did successfully. Another double fault handed over the second set 6-3, by which stage the die was cast.
The Ukrainian's experience and ability at the net allowed him finish in one hour 43 minutes, two minute faster than it took Niland. He now brings Grand Slam tennis into the reverse singles against Niland tomorrow in a match that will be pivotal if Ireland can take something from today's doubles.
Stakhovsky qualified for Wimbledon this year for the first time, but slipped playing his first-round match against the current fifth-ranked player in the world, David Ferrer, and dislocated his shoulder.
At the time he was down two sets, having botched a set point in the first, but he led 3-0 in the third set before falling. He is a quality player and yesterday's match against O'Brien was his first since that injury.
"He's a good player, 700 places above me" said O'Brien after his match. " In the crunch situations he knew what to do. When he needed to be he was at the net, which is where you want to be on these courts.
"But Conor's experience in Davis Cup will be a huge advantage to him. Conor is quick and hits good passing shots. The match will be a good clash of styles."
